Hit By Love
by gilmoregirl-pl
Summary: Bella Swan, a famous young tennis player, always had one goal in her life - win US Open. When the title seems within reach, a sudden distraction appears in her life. Bella faces a difficult choice - follow her mind or her heart? Review, please!
1. Chapter 1 Determined

Hi, everyone!

My name is Martyna. _Hit By Love_ is my first story that is going to be published here, so I'm very excited about that. I'm really looking forward to reading your reviews and receiving feedback in general (hopefully only positive :).

The story will contain 11 chapters plus epilogue. Most of them are already written. I promise you that the next chapters will be longer than the first one.

Huge thanks to my amazing beta **Elizakiwi** for proof-reading the story and dealing with all my mistakes (English is not my first language). Check out her profile!

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><p><em>Hit By Love <em>by gilmoregirl-pl

Love is nothing in tennis, but in life it's everything.  
><strong>Author Unknown<strong>

**Chapter 1. Determined**

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Throw.

Hit.

Instead of lulling me, the repetitive motion was making me more and more energetic with each hit. Each movement of my racquet was faster, each throw higher, and each hit more accurate.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Throw.

Hit.

"Bella, if you're going to serve like that in three days, you will completely destroy poor Tia Kanebi," I heard a giggle coming from my left.

"That's my purpose," I replied without turning my gaze from the court.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Throw.

Hit.

"I'm glad it's not you against me then," Alice laughed and stood up to stand by her husband's side.

"Excellent," Jasper, my coach, complimented me. "Alice's right, your serves are really good. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen you serving so well."

"I'm just really determined to win the US Open this year. I'll do everything I can to achieve my goal," I stated, flushing slightly with excitement.

I was six years old when my father, Charlie Swan, took me to a tennis court for the first time. Tennis was always his great passion and he hoped it would become my passion as well. Indeed it did. My childhood and adolescence were filled with matches and tournaments. I had little free time and a poor social life, but I didn't mind.

Tennis was my life.

At fifteen I won the Junior Wimbledon. That was the breaking point in my career. I started climbing up the women's ranking and was currently fourth. Everybody considered me as one of the favourites to win this year's US Open. It was my biggest dream… in fact it was my only dream. Being only nineteen, I had the whole world at my feet and a beautiful career in front of me, but I still didn't have this one title – the US Open winner. My father had tried to cool my temper multiple times, repeating that I had been here to do my best, not necessarily win the title just yet, but I wouldn't have listened. I _had_ to win.

"I know you really want to win this tournament, Bella, and I will do everything I can to help you do that," Jasper smiled.

"Thank you," I answered, smiling back in gratitude. Jasper had been my coach for the last two years and I had a complete faith in him. He and his wife Alice, who was my sparring partner as well, did an awfully good job in helping me reach the world's top 10. Jasper was only ten years older than me, but he was already one of the greatest coaches of our generation. The Whitlock's were my best friends, the only ones in my crazy world of constant travelling, and I was extremely happy to have them by my side.

"Where is your father?" Alice asked. "He usually attends your trainings."

"He's organizing some interview for Eurosport. You know I don't really like interviews, but this year I'm one of the favourites and I really couldn't refuse."

Alice nodded her head.

"Okay, Bella, I think we might wrap up training for today. I know you probably want to prepare for tonight's party," Jasper said.

"Are you attending it, Bella?" Alice inquired, excited. It caused me to wince internally, knowing I would be at her mercy for the next few hours. Being a sportsman, I rarely wore make-up or fancy dresses. However, Alice, being a born fashion specialist, always tortured me whenever I had been to be interviewed or take part in some gala. No matter how much I preferred my casual style, I had never been able to deny her, seeing how much pleasure it had always brought her.

"I am," I confirmed. "I still have a few days before the tournament starts, so I don't have to wake up early tomorrow. Besides, my father said that my sponsors had insisted that I showed up, so I don't really have any other choice," I sighed.

"Great!" Alice exclaimed. "Don't worry, I will help you prepare."

I bit the tip of my tongue to stop myself from saying that _that_ was exactly what I was worried about. Instead I moved to the nearby bench to gather my things and head to the locker's room.

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><p>I tried to straighten my dress one more time, but it was simply fruitless.<p>

"Alice, please don't force me to wear such a short dress," I whined. The dress was gorgeous, I had to admit that - simple, black, strapless, but waaaay too short.

"Come on, you wear dresses this length during every one of your matches," Alice put her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow.

"I know, but there it is necessary for me to feel comfortable and move freely. I don't want everybody starring at my legs during the party, especially not creepers," I tried to reason with her.

"Hey, it's not like you can't show off a bit. You have amazing legs and you know it," Alice sighed longingly. I rolled my eyes. I knew I had nice legs – all the years of trainings had to compensate in some way – but that was not the point. I didn't feel comfortable being so naked out of the court.

"You won't give up, will you?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Never," Alice laughed, sensing her victory.

"All right, but I'm not wearing these high heels," I stated firmly. "You know how clumsy I can be."

"But Bella…"

"No."

"Pretty please?" Alice did her famous pleading dog's eyes and I could feel my strong stance melting. How could I say no to her? As I said before – I simply couldn't.

"Fine," I sighed and turned towards the mirror again to avoid her triumphant gaze.

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><p>We arrived at the US Open kick-off party in New York's centre just after 9 pm. The party was an annual event that came right before the US Open – which begins Monday August 29th this year – and it was always a celebrity hotspot.<p>

Jasper, Alice and my father stood aside as I walked along the red carpet in my extremely unstable black heels, posing for photos and praying to God that I wouldn't fall. I didn't really like red carpets – my self-consciousness kicked in each time – but I had grown to accept it as part of my job. I was a public person and it was only natural that I would be photographed. Besides, I needed to please my generous sponsors.

"Isabella, here! Smile!" Photographers shouted from every direction and I tried not to wince every time I heard my full name instead of 'Bella'.

20 minutes later I was finally able to enter the ballroom. I don't think I've ever seen so much people in one room. They were simply everywhere – dancing, drinking or just talking. I saw some familiar faces of tennis players or celebrities and made a note in my head to approach them at some point.

My father quickly got engaged in some conversations with representatives of various companies, while my friends and I managed to find a free table. Alice and Jasper ordered some drinks, but, of course, I couldn't – the beauties of being under-age. Not that it made me frustrated or anything; I had drunk some alcohol in the confines of my home a few times and it hadn't tasted that good or anything. I didn't think I was missing out on something.

"I need to go to the toilet," I stated later, getting up. "I will see you guys in a few."

"Sure thing," Jasper replied, "just don't get lost."

"Ha ha ha," I laughed without humour, "very funny."

He just winked at me in response. I made my way through the ballroom, saying 'hi' to various tennis players I knew well, and headed towards the toilet. When I was done I washed my hands and went out on the corridor quickly, eager to get back to my friends.

A bit too quickly, I have to admit.

I forcibly bumped into somebody and would have surely fallen down, if the stranger hadn't placed his arms securely around my waist and steadied me. When I lifted my gaze, my eyes met the most ones of the most handsome men I had ever seen. Green eyes, reddish brown hair, angular jaw, tall, muscled, simply my ideal. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was sure I knew this guy from somewhere. Then, after a few more seconds during which we simply stared at each other, the realisation dawned upon me.

The guy that currently had me in his arms was no one other than Edward Cullen.

He was one of the most famous tennis players in the world. Unfortunately, I knew little about him apart from the fact that he was twenty-one, in the top 10 of the world's male tennis players ranking and on most of the covers this year – that's why I had been able to recognize him.

Edward slowly loosened his grip on me and I shifted my gaze away, suddenly embarrassed that I was staring at him. How could a girl not, though?

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen," he introduced himself and flashed me his famous smile that made girls weak in their knees. I tried to be resistant to his charming self, knowing that it would bring me no good if I got distracted by him.

"Isabella Swan, or just Bella," I replied and shook his hand. When our palms met I felt a current of electricity run between them and it caused a shiver to go down my spine. I swiftly brought my hand back to my side.

"I don't think we've met each other before. I'm seventh in the male ranking," he replied firmly, his cocky attitude he had been known of already appearing. I got slightly irritated and I was glad I could show off in front of him a bit as well.

"I'm fifth in the female ranking," I said, smiling smugly at him. I thought he would have been intimidated by that or at least backed off a bit, but his smile, to my surprise, grew even bigger.

"I actually know that. I saw one of your matches actually, you are really good."

He saw me play? Was it live or on the TV? Wait, was he really complimenting me? I suddenly got extremely curious and wanted answers to the questions all at once.

"Thank you," I blushed slightly at his compliment.

"You're welcome," His smile got wider if it had been even possible.

"So, when did you see me? Was it live?"

"This year's Wimbledon. I saw your quarter-final game on TV in my hotel room."

"Oh, that one," I winced, remembering my lame services at that time; even though I was already very good, the services caused me to lose.

Edward must have noticed my grimace, because he put his big palm on my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Hey, everybody loses sometimes."

"I know, but that does not mean I must like it," I replied, scowling. "My serves were really pathetic that day."

"They were not," Edward argued, taking back his hand and laughing quietly. "Maybe it was just not your day."

"Maybe," I sighed, suddenly eager to change the topic. I have a very strong determination to win this year's US Open and thinking about my failures was neither helpful nor pleasant. After a few seconds of silence I realized that I left Alice and Jasper a long while ago and they would probably be worried about me soon.

"So... I guess I'll see you around then? And sorry for bumping into you," I said, already turning to leave.

"My pleasure," I grinned at me and I felt my chest flush slightly. I felt the need to straighten my dress to make my dress longer under his intense gaze. "I'll see you soon, Bella."

I really liked the way his tongue wrapped around my name. I knew I did not need any distractions right now, so I probably shouldn't have wanted see him again, but I knew I would – the tone of his voice, so confident, made me sure of that.

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><p>Please, <strong>review<strong>!


	2. Chapter 2 Nervous

Here you have the second chapter of my story.

Thanks again to my beta, **Elizakiwi**.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2. Nervous<strong>

I woke up relaxed and ready to start a wonderful day. Though it was rather early, I was used to waking up around 6 or 7, so sleeping in was not really a possibility in my case, even if I was allowed to. I decided to take a long shower and then I lied down in bed to read my favourite book, "Wuthering Heights". I knew every passage in it almost by heart already, but I still enjoyed reading it over and over again. However, this morning I had problems with concentrating on the text, since my thoughts kept drifting towards my meeting yesterday.

Edward Cullen was everything I expected and, at the same time, didn't expect him to be. He was cocky, self-confident and charming, but also caring and reassuring. For the first time in my time, I was truly intrigued by a male specimen and curious as to what he was really like. I tried to push my curiosity away, knowing that it would bring me no good, but I had a feeling I would not be able to contain it once we met again. And, according to Edward, we would for sure.

I was supposed to meet with my father in the hotel bar at 10, since I had the interview scheduled at 11. Of course, Alice came over to find me some clothes to wear and do my make-up. I did not even protest – what was the point? She had me wrapped around her little finger and I loved her too much to deny her the joy of dolling me up. Besides, I must admit that I looked really pretty in the clothes she brought over for me – a sleeveless mixed-media blue dress with shirred knit top and tiered skirt and blue high heels. After she promised she would be watching me on TV, Alice left and I headed downstairs to wait for my dad in the lobby bar. Since it was quarter to 11, I decided to order something to drink.

"One medium coke, please," I told the nearby bartender who flashed me a smile and proceeded to get me my drink. Coke was not exactly healthy and I did not drink it on a daily basis, but one drink could do no harm and I really missed the taste lately.

I took a seat on the bar stool and slowly sipped my drink, when suddenly I heard a voice coming from behind me, "The same for me, please."

I turned my head to the left and came face to face with no one other than Edward Cullen. Apparently, he never broke his promises.

"May I have a sit?" he indicated toward the stool to my left and smiled brightly in my direction, which caused my heart to skip a beat. Damn him and his charms.

I nodded mutely and he sat by my side as the bartender handed him his drink. I didn't know why, but being in his close proximity was making me nervous. I shifted in my seat and tried to think of something to say, but he was faster.

"So," Edward started, "what are you doing here on your own so early in the morning?"

"I'm meeting my father. He actually should be here in a few minutes," I replied. I knew he was looking at me, but I suddenly was too shy to meet his gaze, so instead I studied the surface of the bar.

"Any special reason?"

"I have an interview for Eurosport in an hour."

"Ah," Edward giggled and I was surprised how nice it sounded. "They interviewed me yesterday."

"Really?" This attracted my attention and I raised my head to look at him. "What did they ask you about?" I wanted to feel prepared and think of some answers beforehand.

"Well, you know; the standard stuff. How do I assess my chances of winning the US Open this year, what do I think about my first opponent… They tried to get some info about my love life as well, but I managed not to give them any direct answer," Edward laughed.

I swallowed nervously. I did not like questions about my personal life, but I knew they were unavoidable. This year, fortunately, I had the answer to them.

"Isabella," I heard my father's voice calling me and turned my head towards the bar door. Charlie manoeuvred between the tables and stopped in front of me and my companion.

"Um, dad, this is Edward Cullen," I indicated my head towards Edward. "Edward, my dad, Charlie Swan."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Edward stood up from the seat and shook Charlie's hand.

"Likewise," Charlie replied, eyeing me curiously, which caused me to blush. Me sitting in a lobby bar with some stranger who happened to be one of the greatest tennis players of our generation was not a common sight.

"Well, Bells, we have to go if we don't want to be late," Charlie murmured and indicated towards the door. "I will wait for you in the car."

When he left, I turned my head to see Edward smiling brightly. "Famous Charlie Swan, huh?"

I laughed. Since I was a well known player, so was my father. In the tennis world he was known as an uncompromising, determined guy, seeing the way to achieve success in long hours of trainings, many tournaments and no mercy. It might have seemed as if he was only seeking for money and fame, but I know his attitude resulted from my own desire to win and willingness to do everything it took to be the best. Some media used to even call him a murderer, which caused me to laugh whenever I heard it. He wasn't nearly as scary or unyielding as media pictured him, he just wanted my dreams to come true, and I knew he loved me very much. Hell, he sacrificed his life for me and for that I would always feel grateful.

"Well, I really need to go, but it was nice to meet you again," I stuck my hand out and Edward's long, slender fingers wrapped around it, making me shiver. I did not understand my body's reactions to his closeness or touch and it was becoming unnerving.

"I'll see you soon," Edward repeated his words from before and flashed me his famous crooked grin, which cause me to blush again. This time, I did not doubt his words at all.

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><p>"Hello, you're watching Eurosport News. My name is Cindy Richards and today I'm going to talk with the lovely Isabella Swan, number five in the woman's tennis player ranking and one of the favourites in this year's US Open," Cindy introduced me to the camera and I smiled, muttering a quiet "hi" and trying to keep my nervousness at bay. It wasn't my first time in front of a camera, but knowing that so many people were watching me always made me self-conscious. I was self-confident only when I was on courts – I knew what I was doing there, a painful contrast to being interviewed.<p>

"So, Bella, this is your first US Open, right?"

"Yeah. I couldn't play last year because of a feet injury."

"That's right. You must have been disappointed."

"Yes," I sighed, "but I struggled with various injuries at that time and probably wouldn't have achieved any great result. This year the situation is completely different, thought."

"So there are no medical problems?"

"Well," I laughed, "even if there were I wouldn't tell you, I can't help my opponents." Cindy laughed as well and I felt myself relax slightly.

"Tell me, Bella, how do you assess your chances to win this year's US Open?"

I took a big breath and tried to recollect the formula I stated in every interview recently. "I think they are pretty big, since I'm very well prepared. I improved my serves, I move faster on the court and my hits are more precise. I am really determined to achieve success in this year's US Open."

"Is it important to you that you play in your home country?"

"Of course," I replied, smiling. "I would like to show my best skills here in the USA and not disappoint Americans. I'm sure they would be thrilled if their tennis player won, both female and male."

"Okay, let's move to the past. Did you want to become a tennis player as a small child?"

I smiled, thinking back to the moment when I had held a tennis racket for the first time. It had seemed so heavy and huge back then. "I tried many things as a child, even singing, but I was always the most devoted to tennis and my career choice was very easy. My dad loves this sport and together with my mum they always provided me with great support," I replied.

"Have you never regretted choosing tennis? It is a very time-consuming and exhausting sport."

"No," I said firmly. "I know that hard work is involved in achieving any success, no matter if it is tennis or business or arts. I would only regret it if I felt unsatisfied with what I do, which is fortunately not the case."

"Okay, so we already know that you realized that you wanted to be play tennis early on. Do you remember your first money earned on courts?"

I thought for a while. "It was a small tournament here in New York. I was 9 and I won 100 dollars. I don't remember what I did with the money, though," I smiled at the memory.

"Let's move to your education. You finished high school last year, right?"

"Yes, but it wasn't easy. I stopped attending schools at the age of 14, since it was becoming difficult to reconcile normal education and trainings. My parents and I decided to try out online schooling and I learned this way since then. Last year I took a 3 months long break from playing in tournaments, because I had SAT examinations. My score was, surprisingly, very good, considering how little time for studying I had. It was my personal goal to finish high school, though."

Cindy nodded understandingly. "Tell me, what time do you get up every day?"

"Seven."

"And when do you go to sleep?"

"Eleven. Some people imagine that tennis players do not sleep at all, but it's really not true," I laughed.

"What do you like to spend your money on?"

"It might surprise you, but I love reading books. Wherever I go, I always have a few books with me and I spend quite a lot of money on them.

"Talking about money, we heard that you have a new sponsor. Who is it?"

Of course, I knew there would be some question about that – it was my sponsor's wish.

"Yes, I'm being supported by Adidas since April. I'm going to wear their clothes for every match from now on. I'm very glad that I could become their face." I recited from memory.

"How does your collaboration look like?"

"We decided on meetings a few times a year from now on to make decisions about materials and colours together. I want to feel comfortable in the clothes I wear."

Cindy nodded. "Your life is filled with trainings and tournaments. What do you do in your free time? Do you have time for friends?"

"As I said before, I read a lot, I like watching TV as well. My life outside courts is so boring," I shook my head, laughing. "Most of tennis players find friends among themselves, and I do agree that it is easier to find best friends in the tennis world. Mine are Alice and Jasper Whitlock, my sparring partner and coach, which proves my statement."

Cindy smiled brightly then and I cringed internally – I knew this smile too well.

"We are reaching the end of our conversation, but I would like to know just one more thing. Is there any beau supporting you in New York this year?"

I tried to smile as well, preparing my answer that I gave everybody lately. "Life of a tennis player is not very easy and it is connected with many sacrifices, to which belongs neglecting your personal life. I really want to win this year and this means that I have no time for a distraction in the form of love life. So, to answer your question, there is no beau supporting me here in New York."

I didn't know why, but saying it made me a little bit sad. I repeated it in so many interviews lately that it should not be the case. What changed now? Why was I sad about being single all of a sudden? I had no answer to these questions.

Well, I had never had a boyfriend, so it was hard for me to imagine what it would be like. My life was always filled with tennis and success. I got all the necessary support from my family and fans, and I never really felt the need or desire to be with someone or had any romantic feelings for a boy. Yet, I couldn't deny that I was curious how it would be like to kiss somebody, hold hands and simply rely on someone other than your family members. Thinking of that brought to my mind an image of the certain green eyes and I shook my head slightly to rid myself of those ridiculous thoughts. _No distractions, Bella_, I chanted over and over again.

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><p>The next day was filled with training, training and some more training. Jasper pushed me to my boundaries, but I loved it and I tried harder and harder. By dinner Alice was totally exhausted and muttered that she would never agree to be my sparring partner ever again.<p>

I did not meet Edward Cullen again and I was glad about that. His presence was making me nervous and was distracting me, and I certainly did not need that one day before my first match. I focused on improving some hits that were not perfect yet and watching fragments of Tia's matches to know what her flaws were.

Finally Monday arrived and I knew I was really well-prepared. Instead of being nervous, I was getting excited at the thought of entering the famous central courts for the first time in my life.

Alice walked me to the locker room and stopped in front of the door to hug me.

"Ready?" she asked, looking at me intently and I smiled brightly.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Don't worry; it's going to be an easy match."

"What happened with the standard 'I respect my opponent and never take anything for granted' stance?" Alice laughed.

"It will probably return next week," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. Interviews are one thing – you want to be liked and respected, so you give certain answers to certain questions – but real life is another. I knew my and Tia's plays, and hell, mine were ten times better. The match should not be that difficult. Besides, being self-confident on court was always one of my characteristics.

"Okay, I must go now to join Jasper and your father. I'll keep my fingers crossed."

"Try not to," I threatened and laughed, entering the locker room. Tia was not there yet and when she did come, we did not really talk beside a polite 'hi'. Finally, one of the organizers came over and told us that it was time to go. We grabbed our things and went along the long corridor towards the stadium.

"Good luck," Tia said as we waited at the threshold for the signal to come outside.

"Likewise," I replied, rolling my eyes, since neither of us really meant it.

"Isabella Swan!" I heard the announcer exclaim and I took a big breath, taking a step forward.

My dream was coming true.

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><p><strong>Reviews are as good as strawberry ice cream. Mmm...<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Fascinated

Hi!

Here you have chapter 3, betaed my the lovely **Shelby (BriarBaneRose)**. Check out her profile!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3. Fascinated<strong>

"Wow," this single word was the only thing I could say as I entered Arthur Ashe Stadium. Of course, yes I've seen it on TV and photos many times before, but in reality the stadium turned out to be oh so much bigger. The stands were everywhere around me and they seemed to reach the sky. I shivered with excited and took a big breath, in this very moment I knew I _had_ to win this tournament. There was just _no other way_.

Being ranked in the top 10's gave me the privilege of playing all of my matches on the two main courts –'Arthur Ashe Stadium' and 'Louis Armstrong Stadium'. The first one had the maximum capacity of twenty-three thousand people, so no wonder why it seemed to giant. As I made my way to the nearby bench designed for players, I looked around and my eyes met the Whitlocks and my dad sitting in a box on the other side of the court. Alice smiled brightly towards me, and I replied with a smile of my own. Around me the audience cheered and I could hear my name among their screams. I was surprised there were so many people – it was just the first round and already half of the stadium was filled. I really liked the thought that all these people came there to support me during my first match in the US Open. Fans' support always meant the world to me.

It was a warm late August morning, but fortunately it wasn't too hot or humid. I took a seat and started packing my things outs. After I extracted my racket, I stood up and went to a nearby refrigerator to get an energy drink out. I made sure that I had everything before I took a towel, handed it to a ball boy standing in front of my bench and made my way to the net, where the umpire and Tia were already waiting.

"Hello, Miss Swan, Miss Kebi" Ms. Graf shook our hands and smiled towards us. "I am going to flip the coin now. Miss Swan, head or tail?"

"Head," I replied. It didn't really matter to me whether it was the first or the second one, as long as I would get to serve first. I really hoped to scare Tia with their power and accuracy in the very beginning, I would certainly help me to win.

The umpire nodded and flipped the coin swiftly. "Its head," she looked at me, "so you get to choose first, Miss. Serves or one of the sides?"

"Serves," I stated firmly, looking directly at Tia. After so many years in the tennis world I knew that mental games were as important in this sport as physical games. Scare your opponent first, my father always repeated me. Mental advantage gives you boost to win.

During the next 10 minutes we warmed up with balls – serving, imitating normal games, smashing etc. Before I knew, it was time to take position on the opposite baselines. The stadium erupted in applause as I positioned myself on the line with a ball with my hand.

And then there was silence.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, willing myself to concentrate. This was it. I knew exactly what I had to do; I had done it so many times before. Bounce, throw and hit.

So I did.

I heard the applause first and then the umpire announcing, "Fifteen – love".

Ace. _Perfect_.

I repeated the sequence three more times and each time the applause and screams grew in strength. No more than three minutes later Ms. Graf announced, "Game, Miss Swan."

I was ecstatic. Weeks of training with Jasper turned out to be an unimaginable success. As I was making my way to my bench, I look at the box where my awesome coach sat and saw his big grin and fisted hand. Alice's and my father's expressions matched his. Tia didn't even look at me when we were passing each other. I could only imagine how humiliated she must have felt.

The rest of the set had the similar pattern. Tia managed to win two of her service games after long exchanges, but each service games was easily won by me by aces or volleys whenever she managed to return the ball. The second set was a display of my domination. The score 6:2 to 6:0 can tell you everything.

After the announcement 'game, set, match' I jumped in the air and kissed my racket. The audience gave me a standing applause. I was only the first match, but it meant the world to me – it was my first one won on the Flushing Meadows courts. I had dreamt about it since I was in primary school and it finally had happened.

I run to the net to shake hands with the umpire and Tia, who was not even willing to look at me. Then I did the traditional round across the blue surface, hitting some of the balls towards the audience. I run over to my box to hug my father and the Whitlocks, and then headed towards the locker room with a huge smile on my face.

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><p>I took a seat behind a long table, Jasper following closely after me. The press conference was about to begin.<p>

"Miss Swan, are you ready?" the moderator asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed and smiled towards the flashes.

"Alright, you may ask questions now," he announced and motioned towards a journalist with a raised hand to begin.

"What are your general comments about the match?" the man inquired.

"Well, I think my service really improved recently and it was evident today," I said and the journalists nodded their heads. "I was glad to serve impressively many aces and I think that was the key to my success."

"What do you think about Miss Kebi's game?" asked a woman in the back row.

"She is good for such a young tennis player and she may be great someday," I replied diplomatically. "Today I was faster, though, and winning all my service games only boosted my self-confidence, which naturally contributed to winning the match quickly."

"Mister Whitlock, did you introduce any special type of exercises thanks to which Miss Swan plays so great lately?"

"I wouldn't be able to tell you that," Jasper smiled towards the gathered audience. "I can only say that we decided to focus on the precision of hits rather than their strength. And now Bella's development as a tennis player is broader."

The press conference continued for the next fifteen minutes and I gladly answered the entire question. Normally I didn't like such conferences very much – they had tented to prolong and I had usually only dreamed about rest. However, today I was so happy about winning my first match ever on the famous Flushing Meadows hard courts that I didn't mind being interviewed at all. I wanted to share my happiness with everybody.

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><p>The next day stared as usual with stretching exercises and trainings. Many tennis players and trainers congratulated me on my victory; apparently, many people heard about four aces in my first game. It was quite a feat in competitions of such a high category.<p>

I came back to my room around 3 pm. Jasper gave me a free afternoon to relax before the second round game I was supposed to play on the next day. He and Alice planned to go out and eat a dinner in one of New York Italian restaurants. My dad had a meeting with some very important men again, so basically I was left alone. I didn't mind, though. I never really had many friends and liked being on my own. Being an only child makes you used to that.

After I took a shower and put on some clean clothes, I lay down on my bed and grabbed a book from my nightstand. _Wuthering Heights_ were my favourite book ever and I seriously planned on reading it for the thousandth time. Before I opened the book, though, I decided to check whether there was something interesting on TV.

I hadn't exactly had time or felt like watching TV during my stay in that hotel room so far, so when I turned the TV on, the last watched channel appeared on the screen. _Euro sport. What a surprise._

Of course, they broadcast US Open. Some men's singles match was just beginning. I was about the switch the channel, when suddenly the too familiar name attracted my attention.

"Edward Cullen!" the announcer exclaimed and Edward entered Louis Armstrong Stadium, smiling towards the audience that cheered loudly and shouted his name repeatedly. Especially the female part, I observed and rolled my eyes. I felt a pang of unfamiliar feelings; somehow I didn't like all these women staring at him and salivating over his body.

_Huh. Weird._

His opponent was Stefan Santiago from Spain. I hadn't heard about him before, so Edward shouldn't have had to many problems with winning the match. Since I already had the channel on, I decided to watch it. I put the book back on the nightstand and grabbed the remote to increase the volume. It was only fair that I watched Edward's match when he had already watched mine.

The stadium was smaller than Arthur Ashe Stadium I played in yesterday, but still very impressive. I was supposed to play there on the next day, so it was actually a good thing to familiarize myself with it a bit earlier. The warming up part soon ended, and Edward and Stefan went over to the baselines, ready to begin. Edward was the first to serve.

I was fascinated with his elegant movements. His long, beautiful fingers bounced the ball energetically a few times and then threw it in the air. In one swift movement he raised his right arm and hit the ball with impressive strength. My eyes stayed fixed on his formed, watching as his muscled flexed and relaxed as he ran across the court.

He was _so_ much better than his opponent, and I wasn't saying it from a biased perspective. Okay, maybe I was, but the score clearly showed the skills difference. Edward won the first set with the result 6:1, and soon the second won set followed with the same result. He needed just one more to win the whole match.

In that moment, though, Edward started to struggle. It must have been really hot outside, since both players were sweating profusely, and it seemed as though Edward was slightly out of breath. He grabbed his towel and drank energy drinks more often as well. I winced when he lost his second game in a row. It was already 0:3.

"Come on, Edward, you can do this," I chanted quietly as he prepared himself to start his next service game. I crossed my finger tightly and wrapped my forearms around my legs, bringing them close to my chest. I chanted the words over and over as he prepared for the serve. His face was concentrated as he bounced the ball, threw it in the air and...

"Yes!" I screamed loudly as the ball hit one of the outer lines with great force and then the protected wall near one of the side umpires. Santiago didn't even make a move to hit it back. It wasn't Edward's first ace in the match, but the first one so precise.

Apparently Edward decided to change his playing style. Instead of engaging into long exchanges, he focused on serving precisely on outer lines and with kicks difficult to return. It brought him many aces he his quickly won the game. I exhaled in relief and relaxed my back, leaning against the pillows. During Santiago's service games Edward used more technical hits than before, choosing volleys over crosses and exchanges close to the net instead of hitting the ball from the baseline.

No more than half an hour later the match was over. The final result was 6:1, 6:1, 6:3. Edward's exhilarated and oh so handsome face appeared on the scream as the stadium filled with cheers and clasps. I was clasping, too. I was really proud of him. I knew that overcoming the moment of weakness on the court could be very difficult sometimes, yet he managed to do it. After the traditional shaking hands and hitting balls towards the audience, Edward left the stadium and I turned the TV off, smiling broadly.

The smile didn't leave my face the entire evening.

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><p><strong>Review, please!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4 Interrogated

Hi, everybody!

Our dear Bella is going to be interrogated... Check it out!

The chapter was betaed by the lovely** Shelby (BriarBaneRose)**. Huge thanks, Shell!

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><p><strong>Chapter 4. Interrogated<strong>

"Game, Miss Senna."

It was early Wednesday afternoon and I was in the middle of my second round match against Zafrina Senna. I won the first set 6:3 and was leading 3:1 in the second set. I lost the last game, but that did not really affect negatively my self-confidence. Lost games happened all the time, and I was on a good way to win the whole match.

I sit on the bench and grabbed a PowerAde standing on my left. The day was very hot and it was shining strongly, so I tried to hide from the sun as much as I could under the small roofing. I perfectly understood why Edward was out of breath the day before. Hopefully, it would get cooler with passing days, since tomorrow would be the first day of September.

One PowerAde and energy bar later, I stood up from the bench, handed my towel to a ball girl and made my way to the opposite side of the court. It was my service game now.

I took two of the balls that had been brought to me and hid one under my skirt. I bounced the other ball a few times, threw it in the air and hit it.

The ball landed right in the T area, the corner between the service lines, and Zafrina did not even make a move to return it.

"Fifteen – love," the umpire announced and I fisted my hand. My serves were still not disappointing me.

My next serve was blocked by Zafrina, so the ball returned with much smaller strength than it was served with. I replied with a drive volley, and even though my opponent ran in the right direction, she was unable to reach it.

"Thirty – love."

My first serve hit the net this time and I was forced to resort to my weaker second one. This exchange was much longer and tiring that most of the previous ones, and when Zafrina decided to hit the ball along the line after three strong crosses, I did not even make a run to try and return it.

God, it was really getting hot. I knew I should have not engaged into long exchanges in such weather conditions. Besides, my strongest side lately was service and I preferred fast ending hits following it, since I often struggled when winning a point involved more than five exchanges, mostly due to my physical characteristics. I was rather tiny and had shorter legs than the greater part of my opponents, so with each hit I had to ran far to I was bound to get more tired than them.

I took my towel from a ball boy and ran it around my face, taking a few deep breaths to steady my heartbeat and gain more strength.

Unfortunately, the next exchange was rather long as well, but one of Zafrina's hits turned out to be too long and I did not have to return it. I had a special plan for the game point. When the ball returned to me after the serve, I made a short movement with my racket and sent a drop shot with backspin towards Senna. She made a quick run and stretched to reach it, but, fortunately for me, was unable to. It was only my second drop shot in the whole match and I must have really surprised her.

"Game, Miss Swan. Miss Swan leads 4:1 in the second set," the umpire announced.

The next two games had no history really. In less than 20 minutes it was already a match point.

I heard the applause getting faster and faster as I prepared for my serve. Zafrina was so desperate to win the point that she quickly went to the net after returning the serve. Knowing that she would be too tired to run back towards the baseline, I lobbed the ball and watched it fly far above her head, landing a feet before the line. As I expected, she just watched it with resignation apparent on her face.

"Game set, match, Miss Swan."

The audience erupted in applause and I took the ball I hit before the last serve under my skirt. I send it towards the upper box and laughed under my breath as my fans started squealing. After shaking hands and waving towards the audience, I put my racked on the bench and went over to the tribunes to sign balls, photos and whatever else they wanted me to sign. I was so grateful for their support and so _so_ happy that I won my second match.

I was one step closer to winning the whole tournament and the thought was making butterflies fly around in my stomach.

* * *

><p>"Hello, may I take your order?" the waitress asked and my father nodded in confirmation, motioning for me to go first.<p>

"I would like Ravioli di Portobello and a glass of orange juice."

The waitress nodded and looked at my father.

"I will take Lasagne Rollata al Forno and a glass of water. We will also take a bottle of white Chardonnay."

The woman wrote down our order and went away. I looked at my father questioningly.

"Wine?"

"I figured we may as well celebrate a little bit," Charlie smiled slightly. "One flute of wine will do you no harm."

"If you say so..." I muttered. I liked white wine, but I usually restrained myself from drinking alcohol during tournaments, especially such important to me. I was not scheduled to play my next match on the next day, though, so maybe having a few sips of wine wouldn't be such a bad idea.

We were in the Italian restaurant Alice and Jasper visited the day before. Alice was absolutely taken with it and suggested my father and I come there for dinner as well. Since we actually had a reason for celebrating, I put one of the two elegant dresses I took with me to New York, and we headed out.

The waitress returned with our drinks a few minutes later. I took a few sips of my juice and looked around the room. The restaurant was very cosy. The walls had an olive colour, and the shade complemented the dark brown wooden furniture very well. The sconces warmed the room with their orange light.

Charlie cleared his throat quietly to attract my attention.

"So..." he started and I winced internally. When my father started a sentence with 'so', the topic he was going to bring up was rarely pleasant to me. "Where do you know this Cullen guy from?"

I sighed. I really could have expected that question. Seeing me talk to some man other than Jasper, my physiotherapist or family member must have surprised him. It was certainly not something I did often.

"Well..." I started, squirming in my seat. "We met at the kick-off party last week." I omitted the part about bumping into him. I did not like to admit to my clumsiness outside courts.

"Huh," Charlie murmured under his breath.

"Dad, do you want to tell or ask me something?" I asked, exasperated. I did not like this quiet muttering at all.

"I just want you to remember about our 'no distractions' talk. I know you are a girl and you may naturally like some boys..."

"Dad," I interrupted him, blushing furiously. "Edward is just a friend. It's not like I like him this way or anything," I added quickly, a bit _too_ quickly for my liking. It sounded as if I was excusing myself after doing something bad.

Charlie did not look really convinced.

"Bella, I just want the best for you. You have a dream – you want to win this tournament. I will do anything I can to help you achieve it. You are still a teenager, though, and I you are bound to get distracted by handsome guys, but we cannot let this lead you astray."

"I know," I said quietly, avoiding his gaze. I perfectly understood his logic and I agreed with it, but it did not stop my heart from clenching a little.

Our conversation was fortunately interrupted by our waitress who brought us our food. It was really great and made a note in my head to visit it at least one more time before we leave New York.

And even though I was really determined not to let Edward Cullen mess with my head, it was his face that I saw when I closed my eyes at quarter to midnight.

* * *

><p>I was making my way through the labyrinth of hallways to the nearest bathroom. The complex where the US Open took place was really huge. Were it not well signed, a person would easily get lost there.<p>

I took a turn to the left and jumped when I came face to face with the last person I expected to see there.

"Bella," Edward breathed, smiling widely.

I felt self-conscious all of a sudden. I straightened my shirt with one hand, tucking some strands of hair behind my ear with the other.

"Um, hi," I managed to stutter and blushing slightly. His mere presence had a really weird effect on me.

"Congratulations. I heard you won your second match yesterday," Edward praised me.

"Thanks," I replied, blushing even more and scolding myself for doing so. I was truly powerless to stop this reaction of my body.

We stood there for a while in an awkward silence, and finally I blurted out the first thing that had crossed my mind.

"I've seen your match yesterday."

_Shit! Did I really say that?_

Great. Now he would think I was a stalker or something.

Edward's smile, if it was even possible, widened.

"Really?" he sounded excited. "Were you in the stadium?"

"Um, no, actually," I replied, feeling uneasy as I saw disappointment flash in his eyes. "I've seen it on TV. You were really great. You totally destroyed your opponent. I cannot even recollect his name now, he was so unimportant on the court," I laughed and Edward's laugh soon joined mine.

"Well, yeah, I was a bit better," he stated modestly, still laughing.

"A bit is an understatement," I shook my head and saw Edward's cheek flush slightly. Apparently I was not the only one between the two of us who could blush.

"Do you play another match today?"

"Yeah, against Demetri Corin from France," Edward confirmed.

"Huh. I've never heard about him."

"Me neither," Edward giggled and the sound was so beautiful that I caused a shiver to run down my spine. "I guess I'll have a lot of time to get to know him today. You have a break today?"

"Yes. I was just about to start my training, but I decided to head to a restroom first. So, I'll just..." I indicated towards the nearby bathroom awkwardly.

"Oh, of course," Edward replied hastily and smiled brightly. "It was nice to meet you again."

"Same here," I said honestly. I really liked talking to him. _A bit too much_.

"Good luck today." I started heading towards the restroom.

"Thanks," Edward winked at me and my heart skipped a beat.

_Damn_. _I really need to come to terms with myself_.

* * *

><p>I was back in my room after a very long and even more exhausting training, when my cell phone suddenly started ringing.<p>

_Renee_, the screen told me and the corners of my mouth lifted. I pressed 'answer' swiftly and brought the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, honey," my mom's warm voice embraced me and I sighed contently.

"Hi, mum, it's so nice to hear from you."

"I'm sorry I haven't called earlier, but you know how teaching in high school can be. I had so many class tests to mark that I swore to myself that I won't make my students write anything else for the next one hundred year," Renee said seriously and I laughed.

"Mum, you love teaching," I commented and heard her sigh.

"Yeah, I do, but it can be really tiring sometimes. Okay, enough about me. How are you, sweetie? Ready for your next match?"

"I think so. I had a really tough training today, because Jasper wanted me to train some hits I had problems with yesterday. I am really well prepared for tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear that," I heard a smile in my mother's voice. "I watched your every match, though they were not really exciting. That first girl, what was her name? Tia? Your service completely destroyed her."

"I'm so happy that all the trainings to improve it turned out to be successful."

"I remember how disappointed you were after that memorable Wimbledon. You were able to overcome your weaknesses and improve your game, though, which is sometimes so difficult. You have no idea how proud of you I am now."

"Thanks, mum," I said quietly.

"Enough with tennis," Renee said after a few seconds of silence. "Tell me, did you meet anyone new?"

"Um, yeah," I confirmed and squirmed on my bed, thinking about Edward.

"A girl? A boy?" my mom inquired curiously.

I really needed to steer away from the topic.

"Many people really, I am a tennis player, I meet thousands of people all the time," I replied vaguely.

"Bella," Renee sighed. "You know what I mean."

"Um..." I murmured, unsure if I wanted to continue or not.

"Yes?" my mom prompted gently.

"Actually, I met this guy..." I started and instantly regretted it. I could prepare myself for full interrogation now.

"A guy?" Renee sounded pleased. "Who is he? A tennis player? How old is he? Oh, my God, have the two of you kissed?"

"Mom, slower, you will choke with the air," I giggled and shook my head. She was sometimes more a teenager than me.

"Please, tell me something else about him," she pleaded with me and I sighed, giving up.

"His name is Edward–" I managed to say before Renee's squeal filled my ear.

"Oh, my God! Edward Cullen?"

I winced. Of course I could have expected for her to recognize him. Hell, it wasn't as if there were many Edward's in the tennis world, and Cullen was a real star.

"Yes," I confirmed and waited till she stopped squealing before I decided to continue. "We met at the kick-off party."

"Did he ask you to dance?" she asked excitedly.

"No, actually, I bumped into him," I confessed, flushing with embarrassment, and I heard Renee laugh.

"That is so you, sweetie. You did not spill your drink on him or anything?"

"No," I snorted.

"Was that your only meeting?"

"No, we met a few more times." Again, I decided to keep it vague. I really didn't want to go into details.

"So..." Renee started. I knew what was coming, and I also knew there was no way to stop it. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" she chirped.

"Mom," I said my sigh so deep I must have deafened her. "You know I have no time for distractions right now, not if I want to win this tournament."

I found myself believing these words less and less each time I said them.

"Bella," I knew my mum was shaking her head even though I couldn't see her. "I know that tennis means everything for you, but you cannot separate yourself from the world outside courts so much. You need to have friends in the tennis world, and they cannot be only Alice and Jasper," she added hastily, sensing my willingness to cut in. "You cannot give up everything for tennis. You need a love life as much as you need tennis successes, Bella. One day you will stop playing and where will it leave you?"

"I know, mum," I sighed. She was right, but it was so hard for me to change my fixed priorities. Besides, I could open myself up after the tournament, right? I just needed a bit more time and this one title.

"I should have told you that so many years ago," it was Renee's turn to sigh.

After a moment of awkward silence I decided to speak up.

"I Miss you, mom," I confessed truthfully.

"I Miss you too, honey. I hope that we will see each other no earlier than right before your final match, though," she said with a smile in her voice.

"I hope so, too," I laughed. "I need to hang up, mum. I'm really tired and I would like to go to sleep a bit earlier today.

"Oh, I have completely forgotten about the time difference, and I promised Charlie to call him as well. Sweet dreams, Bella, and I will keep my fingers crossed tomorrow."

"Thanks. I love you, mom."

"I love you, too. Bye."

"Bye," I said and slowly pressed the 'end' button, feeling more exhausted and confused than ever.

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><p><strong>Care to comment? Review, please!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5 Comfortable

Hi and hello,

sorry for the delay. I was away from home for a few days and didn't have the Internet access. Here you have chapter 5, beated by the lovely** Shelby (BriarBaneRose)**.

I really love the garden scene in this chapter.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5. Comfortable<strong>

After the short warming up I took a sit on my bench, waiting for the match to begin. Today my opponent was Irina Kachiri from Israel. For the first time in the tournament I was playing against a seeded player. Irina was much lower in the ranking than me, though – she was twenty-nine. Still, I couldn't treat this match as a one more training. She was known of strong returns and was always well prepared physically, and I had to respect such an opponent.

"Time," the today's umpire announced and both me and Irina stood up, making our way to the opposite sites of the court. I was glad I won the tossing yet again and could choose service, since rocking the first game always boosted my self-confidence.

I grabbed two balls from a ball girl, hiding one under my skirt and bouncing the other one against the ground. I inhaled deeply, closed my eye for a split of a second, threw the ball and hit.

"Out!" shouted one of the line umpires.

_Damn._

I retrieved the ball I had hid under my skirt a few seconds ago a prepared for the hit. This time the ball landed in the court and, as I expected, it was returned with great strength just under my feet. I had to almost sit on the ground to hit it back. As a consequence, the hit was rather weak and high and just as I rose up the exchange was finished with a forceful drive volley by Irina. I did not even have time to make a step in the right direction.

The next few exchanges followed suit with my first serves being either too long or hitting the net, and my second ones being returned so fast I struggled to get to them, let alone hit the strongly back. A few minutes later I lost the game altogether.

_That was so not good._

I needed to figure out a way to bring my successful first services back and quick. I had only a few minutes before I was to serve again. Hopefully I would manage to break Irina back.

And so I did. Apparently I was not the only one struggling with service that day. It was due to the merciless sun; I was nearly left blind every time I lifted my head up. A peaked hat on my head did little to help.

"Game, Miss Swan."

Now it was a time to finally improve my service. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jasper making small movements with his hand, as if he was trying to make something smaller. When he realized his gestures caught my attention, he repeated the action, performing a throw and the reducing gesture as subtly and conspirative as he could. I took me a second to understand, but then a small smirk appeared on my lips.

He was showing me to throw the ball lower in the air, and knowing Jasper, this would be the key to my success.

I bounced the ball a few times, took a breath and then threw it a meter lower than usually, which allowed me not to look at the blinding sun too directly and for too long. Five seconds later, I heard "Fifteen – love" coming from the umpire's chair.

I owed Jasper a great dinner.

The match was more difficult than the previous ones, but in the end after an hour and a half I managed to win 6:4 6:4. I had to admit that Kachiri was a really great tennis player and she had a great career in front of herself.

After the words "Game, set, match", I run to the net, shook hands, left my racquet on the bench and made my way to Jasper's box. Him, Alice and my father were all three sitting there, smiling broadly and clapping. I extended my hands towards my brilliant coach and we hugged strongly.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear after a few second. "I really mean that."

"You're welcome," he drawled and winked at me, knowing very well what I was thanking him for.

And that was how I advanced to the fourth round of the US Open.

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><p>That evening I couldn't really fall asleep for no apparent reason. I kept tossing from side to side restlessly, but sleep couldn't find me. I tried watching TV or reading, but it only bored me.<p>

Sighing, I drew the thin covers back and made a move to stand up, slipping my feet into my slippers. I had only one idea and it involved letting fresh air into my organism. I quickly changed into some sweat, tied my hair into a ponytail, grabbed a pair of comfortable shoes and quietly left my apartment.

Even though I had a difficult match just a few hours before, I wasn't very tired, and jogging always helped me to clear my head and relax. It was chilly outside, a pleasant change from the day's hot temperatures. I zipped my sweatshirt as I reached the hotel's impressive gardens and started jogging down the first trail I had reached. No more than half a minute later my feet came to an abrupt stop.

It was just impossible. Come on, what were the odds of meeting him there in the middle of the night in this giant garden? Maybe it was just a trick of my overactive imagination?

Edward looked as surprised to see me as I was to see you. He was clothed similarly to me, in sweats and running shoes. Apparently, he had the same idea as me. It should really bother me that we were thinking so alike, but strangely, it made my heart fill with joy and excitement.

"Well, this is what I call fate," Edward laughed quietly as he reached my side. "Or there is another explanation – you are just a stalker."

I rolled my eyes. Of course I knew he would think that.

"I would rather say the first one," I said, smiling nevertheless, blood running faster through my veins. In order to see each other properly in the dim light of the garden lamps we had to stand very close to one another. I could feel the heat of his body on my skin and that was a _too_ pleasant feeling.

After a few seconds of an awkward silence, Edward cleared his throat and put his hands into his pants pockets.

"So, um, you were going to jog?"

"Yeah, I couldn't really fall asleep and I thought that fresh air would do me some good."

"That's what I hoped for, too. Maybe... You would like to join me, then?" he asked timidly, a hint of hope in his voice. I had never heard Edward Cullen speak this way. He seemed almost vulnerable and I knew I would have never been able to say no to him.

"Sure," I smiled slightly, already excited at the prospect, and Edward flashed me a crooked smile in response. He motioned for me to lead the way and we started down the path we were already on.

At first, it felt awkward and the atmosphere between us was rather tense, but after a few minutes I felt myself relaxing and actually enjoying the silent running with him by my side. We kept exchanging glances and I was glad he couldn't have seen me blush every time our eyes met.

The gardens were truly amazing. The effect the designers were trying to achieve was tamed wilderness. Various types of plants I couldn't even name grew on every free area surrounding the gravel paths. In the centre of the garden there was a big naturally-looking pond which many species of birds had taken over. It was beautifully illuminated by ground lamps and the moonlight shining through tree branches. On the side we could see a paved fragment of the ground with comfortable-looking couches and coffee-tables. Lit candles created a truly romantic atmosphere in this nook.

After twenty minutes of jogging Edward motioned towards one of the couches and we agreed to take a sit there and rest for a while. I adjusted my ponytail and decided I may as well start a conversation.

"You do have a match tomorrow, right? Are you not going to be tired?" I inquired.

Edward run a hand through his hair. "Nah, I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I just had had a... very disturbing phone talk and it had kept me awake for so long after it had ended that I decided to go out for a while and clear my mind."

I didn't pry any further, though I was curious and really wanted to. Instead I just nodded my head and decided to change the subject.

"Well, every time we meet you are on your own. Are you here in New York alone?" I cocked my head to the side.

"No, I brought my trainer with me, Emmett Cullen," he said and I nodded my head, vaguely familiar with the name. "My physiotherapist stayed in the Washington state where I live."

"You are from Washington?" I asked shock evident in my voice.

"Yeah," Edward looked at me curiously. "Why are you so surprised?"

"Well, I'm from Washington myself. In Fork's to be exact, it's a small town–"

"I know where it is," Edward interrupted me. "I'm from Port Angeles."

"Wow," this single word escaped my lips and Edward chuckled, saying "Wow, indeed."

We stayed silent for a few seconds, each of us lost in our own thoughts. He was from the same state as me. God, this was really getting creepy.

Edward's voice broke my thoughts. "What about you? I met your father and I've seen your coach Jasper Whitlock, am I correct?" I nodded. "Is that all?"

"No, Alice, my best friend, sparring partner and Jasper's wife simultaneously is here as well," I smiled. "She is always in the box with them during my matches."

"What about your mother?"

"She stayed at home as usually, taking care of everything. She is a teacher, so she cannot really travel a lot during a school year," I explained. "She will probably fly over here if I reach the semi-final or final, though. What about your parents?"

Even in the faint light of the candles and nearby lamps I could see Edward wince slightly and I instantly regretted asking the question. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, you don't have to answer," I said hurriedly and turned my head to turn my blush of embarrassment from him.

"It's okay," Edward responded quietly. "You told me about your family, so I owe you the same."

"You don't owe me anything, Edward."

Edward shook his head stubbornly and inhaled deeply, running his hand through his hair again, a nervous habit of his I noticed recently.

"My father is a doctor and he... does not really accept what I do. He always wanted me to be a doctor as well," he sighed. "I do not really want to go into details. I think he will fly over in a few days, though. At least that's what he said."

"And your mum?" I prompted gently, curiosity winning over.

Edward's frown disappeared and a small smile appeared on his lips. "She supports me with her whole heart. She is an interior designer, so she cannot travel a lot as well as your mum."

I nodded understandingly and reached over to squeeze his hand, silently thanking him for confessing to me. I felt this incredible flow of electricity again. When I was about to take my hand back, Edward gripped it tighter, seemingly unwilling to let go. My heart skipped a bit at his action and I flushed pink, but did not try to remove my hand from his grip.

We fell into an easy conversation after that, talking about our interests, friends and other safe topics. I was surprised at how natural and comfortable it all felt – running with him, sitting there by his side in that beautiful hotel gardens, talking with him and holding his hand. I completely forgot I was even a bit sleepy before – I had never felt more alive in my entire life.

Soon it got really late, and when my watch indicated it was already one a.m., we decided to head back. I unwillingly took my hand back as I stood up, sighing at the loss. In spite of my protests, Edward insisted on walking me to my room's door.

He pushed his hands into his pockets as we reached it and smiled broadly towards me.

"I had a really great time tonight."

"Me, too," I replied, blushing furiously and avoiding his gaze. I got nervous all of a sudden.

"Um, so, I'll see you soon," Edward said as usually, a hit of hope in his voice that I didn't Miss.

"Yeah," I confirmed awkwardly and held my breath as I saw him leaning in towards me.

I stopped breathing altogether when I felt his mouth press gently to my left cheek. He was so close that I could inhale his incredible, masculine smell. His lips were smooth and surprisingly warm, despite the chilly air outside. They left a burning mark on my flesh when he finally leaned back and smiled timidly towards me. I replied with a smile of my own.

"Goodnight and good luck tomorrow" I whispered and turned on my heels to put the key card into the door. When I entered the room, I stopped in the doorframe and turned to look at him one last time.

"Goodnight," he grinned and started making his way back towards the elevator. My eyes followed him until he disappeared behind the corner. I closed my door and leaned against it, resting my head against the hard wood and sighing deeply.

I knew I had no control over my feelings anymore.

* * *

><p>"We're going shopping!"<p>

I moaned loudly.

"Do I have something to say in this topic?"

"Not really," laughed Alice and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the door of my hotel room. "Come on, we are in New York, we have to go shopping at least once."

"_At least_ once?" I whined and closed my eyes.

I heard Alice sigh deeply. "You know, you could at least pretend you are enthusiastic about it."

"Alice, you are enthusiastic for us both, it's really enough," I giggled and grabbed my shoes, knowing I wouldn't be able to win with her.

We took a taxi and in less than twenty minutes we were in the nearest shopping centre. The mall was huge and overwhelming, but Alice was in her world. She dragged me to C&A and started making her way through the tons of stands. I followed her reluctantly, from time to time grabbing some shirt in my hands to take a closer look.

"So... Is there any reason you were smiling so brightly throughout your whole training in the morning?"

I blushed and ducked my head, avoiding her curious gaze.

"I just... slept well, that's all," I replied. Well, it actually wasn't a lie. I slept surprisingly well after returning to my room last night.

"Slept well," she repeated in her sing-song voice. "Is there any particular reason why you slept so well last night?"

I knew that Alice loved to pry and she would never stop until she knew everything. I wondered how long I would be able to avoid giving her direct answers.

"I went running before sleep," I said vaguely, suddenly interested in the pair of jeans by my left so I did not have to look at her.

"Uh huh," she murmured and I winced, knowing what question would be asked now. "Were you running alone?"

For a few seconds I debated internally whether I could lie to her or not. She knew me so well, though, that I didn't think it I would be hiding anything from her.

"Well... not really," I whispered and blushed furiously.

She looked at me intently and I watched her smile widen.

"I know this smile, Isabella Marie Swan. Who is he? Tell me everything!" she squealed.

"God, you sound just like my mother," I moaned and made an attempt to turn her attention back towards shopping. "Look at these trousers–"I indicated to the right, but of course was interrupted.

"Don't try to change the subject, Bella," Alice scolded me and put her hands on her hips. "Come on, who is he?"

There was no chance to escape any more.

"Edward Cullen," I mumbled, hoping he would hear me, but naturally was wrong.

"Edward Cullen?" Alice exclaimed, bringing the attention of some other customers towards us.

"Shh, not so loud," I tried to quiet her down, blushing with embarrassment.

"How do you know him? Did you meet for the first time last night?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, no, we had met a couple of times before."

"A couple of times? And you didn't tell me anything?" Alice inquired unbelievingly, throwing her hands in the air. "God, you met the couple of times with the hottest tennis player in the world or probably even the hottest _man_ in the world, and you didn't tell me anything?"

"You are married, Alice," I reminded her. "Besides, it's not a big deal," I tried to reason with her, aware that we still had the attention of a couple of women standing by. "We met at the kick-off party for the first time and then fleetingly a few times. I couldn't fall sleep last night, he couldn't either and we bumped into each other in the hotel gardens. End of story."

She observed me intently during my whole speech, making me want to hide something. Alice had the ability to read people like an open book, and I was no exception.

"You're blushing, Bella," she stated. "You do like him, don't you?"

I did not even sound as a question; she just waited for a confirmation.

"It's not important. I don't have time for such things. No distractions, remember?" I said quietly, not really convinced myself anymore. The truth was, I liked him in a way that was making me nervous and excited at the same time. He was certainly distracting me, but deep inside I didn't want him to stop.

"Bullshit. I'm sure even you don't believe your own words anymore. Bella, I can see it in your eyes when you speak about him. They are shining," she observed and I looked at her surprised. "It's okay to fall in love, you know? There will be many more US Opens in your career if you don't win this one, even though I'm sure you will. Please stop with this 'no distractions' bullshit and let your heart guide you."

"Now you really sound like my mother," I rolled my eyes, but her words did affect me. Maybe if so many people thought I should loosen up a little bit and follow my heart, they were truly right?

"Renee is a very wise woman," Alice commented. "Now tell me, was there anything more between you and Edward? I don't know, hugging, kissing?" she sounded truly excited again.

This time I didn't even try to play for time, knowing my trials would be futile. "We held hands when we talked last night and he kissed my cheek when we were saying goodbye," I felt my cheeks flush pink at the memories and the confession I was making.

"Oh my God!" Alice squealed. "He must really like you! You are so lucky, Isabella Marie Swan, so _so_ lucky."

"I remind you again that you are a married woman, Alice Whitlock," I said playfully and rolled my eyes, but my blush deepened at her words. I couldn't really believe that someone as famous, handsome and kind as Edward Cullen would really feel something for me, but I could fight with the stupid hope growing in my heart.

And even though I didn't really like shopping, that time it brought me more joy than any other time. I was smiling like a fool the whole time and even allowed Alice to buy me a few really sexy clothes despite my preference to wear only the comfortable ones.

I was falling for Edward Cullen, and I was falling hard.

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><p><strong>Review, please!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 Motivated

Hi, people!

I decided to post chapters 6 a few days earlier that usually, since I'm in a very foul mood right now (I failed my driving test for the second time today) and I needed something to cheer me up. I guess you are lucky _I'm_ not lucky ;)

Okay, enough with the self-pitying.

The chapter is betaed by the lovely** Shelby (BriarBaneRose)**.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6. Motivated<strong>

"Okay, let's go over the tactic one more time," said Jasper and motioned towards the nearby bench in the locker room. It was Sunday morning and thankfully it was to be one of the cooler September days. I really hated playing in the blinding sun and feeling streaks of sweat run down my back.

We removed the entire bar wrappers left by other players on the bench and took a seat. Jasper took out all his notes and presented them to me.

"You're playing against Carmen Denali from Argentina. She is very young, so we cannot count on her losing too much energy. However, her age may cause her to lose her composure quickly if something does not go like she wants." I nodded confirmatory. "Her main tactic would be to play using strong, long hits from the baseline. Your task is to force her to run to the net. Use everything you will consider be appropriate at the moment – drop shots, volleys with backspin, short services. It will confuse her for a while and force her to make last second adjustment to her plan. When she starts preparing for short shots and coming over to the net, send her long balls under her feet. We need her to get confused and frustrated, got it?"

"Yes, sir," I said playfully and bumped my bark into his. "Everything understood, don't worry."

"Good," Jasper smiled and rolled his notes. "She will be here soon and you probably need to stretch for a while, so I will go now and join Alice and your father. Good luck," he smiled and squeezed my shoulder.

"Thanks," I smiled back and waved towards him.

I grabbed my iPod, put the headphones into my ears, chose some energetic music to get myself pumped up and started stretching. No more than half an hour later my Argentinean opponent and I entered the blue hard court of Arthur Ashe stadium. I personally preferred the Louis Armstrong one, since it was smaller and as a consequence more cosy, but huge fans' support also had its advantages. I could hear my name being screamed from every direction and I smiled brightly towards the audience.

After the short warming up I sat on the bench and waited for the umpire to announce 'time', eating an energy bar in the meantime. When I lifted my head after putting a PowerAde on the ground, my eyes noticed someone taking a seat in one of the boxes.

Was I dreaming or Edward Cullen really came here to watch my match?

I couldn't see his expression from such a big distance and I was curious as to what he was doing there. I didn't have time to ponder on that, though, since the umpire announced it was time to start the match.

Edward's presence was strangely motivating for me. Knowing he was observing my every move made me want to win the match even more. It seemed as though every my hit was more precise and I put more heart in my play than ever.

Two sets, five electrolyte drinks, six energy bars, two towels, four sets of balls and hundreds of hits later the match was over. Jasper's tactic turned out to be very successful. Carmen's strength, though greater than mine, was useless in returning my volleys and drop shots. Moreover, just as my brilliant trainer expected, Denali started coming closer to the next after a while and it was easy to send a ball just under her feet or hit a winning lob.

"Game, set, match, Miss Swan," the umpire announced and I kissed my racquet in exhilaration, running towards the net. After I put it on the bench I made my way back to the centre of the court to wave to the cheering audience. I could see Edward clapping and smiling widely. I felt truly proud that could show my best play to him.

* * *

><p>"May I come in?" I heard the familiar voice and quiet knocking coming from the doorway of my locker room. I turned my head and saw Edward standing next to the door with one hand still on the handle and the other one resting against the frame. The room was almost empty and I could not see anybody changing, so I motioned for him to come inside. He closed the door and smiled widely.<p>

"Congratulations. You played great today."

"Thanks," I said and felt my cheeks flush slightly. Damn my traitorous body.

"Your tactic was fantastic. I have never seen anybody as confused as this Argentinean girl in my entire life," he laughed.

"Yeah, me neither," I laughed as well. "It was Jasper's plan to get Denali as confused and frustrated as possible. She easily loses her composure."

"Well, it was one hell of a good tactic," Edward praised.

We fell into a comfortable silence after that. I started packing my things up and gathered my hair into a bun using a rubber. My actions were interrupted by Edward clearing his throat.

"I was wondering... Maybe we could meet tonight? If you don't have a training or anything?" he asked, running a hand through his reddish brown hair.

I looked at him in surprise. He wanted to meet with me? Like... a date?

I didn't dare even hope so.

"Oh," I blurted out, suddenly at a loss for words.

"I heard there is a great patio on the hotel roof. I will be there around eight p.m. Meet me there," he smiled crookedly at me and winked before making his way towards the locker room door, leaving me speechless.

Did Edward Cullen just ask me on a date?

* * *

><p>I sat on my bed that evening, torn. Should I go? Was it responsible? What about my 'no distractions' belief? Maybe Renee and Alice were right?<p>

And if I go, what do I wear?

God, my head was hurting due to the tone of question spinning in my mind.

I wanted to win the US Open. I needed this title. It was my dream since I was a little girl to win there, in New York, in front of the whole America. In order to achieve that, I had to stay focused and concentrated on tennis and nothing else. It was just one more week and I would be able to do as my heart pleases.

But why the thought of not going and letting Edward down was making my heart clench so painfully?

I sighed in resignation. Reasoning with myself was not working anymore.

I made my way over to the wardrobe and opened it, searching for something decent to wear. I didn't like to dress up, but this time I wanted to look nice, sexy even.

_God, I can't believe I just thought that._

I decided for a pair of jeans and one of the shirts I had bought recently during shopping with Alice. I finished it off with a pair of comfortable flats. I looked at myself in the mirror and was satisfied with what I saw – I was comfortable in the clothes and looked kind of sexy at the same time. I decided to loosen up my hair as well, removing the rubber.

I climbed up the stairs and reached the hotel roof a few minutes after eight. It was truly spectacular. Lamps illuminated a countless number of couches with tons of pillows on them. Everywhere you looked you could see plants, and I could even hear a small waterfall. I lifted my head to look at the cloudless sky. It was full moon that night.

I made a few steps forward and noticed Edward sitting on one of the couches to my right with his back to me. He was looking at New York in front of him.

"Edward?"

His head turned swiftly in my direction and it took him a few seconds to recognize my face in the dim light, but when he did, a wide smile spread across his entire face. He indicated the couch and I made my way towards it with thumping heart. I never felt so nervous in my entire life. What I was afraid of, I didn't know, probably the wide spectrum of possibilities, the probable consequences...

I took a seat by his right side and crossed my legs, feeling really awkward. I felt an urge to reach with my hand and fix my hair, by decided against it.

"I'm really glad you came," Edward said quietly. "I wasn't sure..." he trailed off.

"Me neither," I replied truthfully, blushing slightly.

"Would you like some wine?" Edward inquired, motioning towards the coffee table in front of us. There stood a bottle of white wine and two empty glass flutes.

"How did you...?" I asked in surprise, cocking an eyebrow. He laughed quietly.

"I have my ways. Now, would you like some?"

I pondered on it for a while; coming to the conclusion that one flute of wine would do me no harm. It wasn't as I was playing a match on the next day or anything, and I certainly had something to celebrate. Besides, a bit of alcohol in my blood system might give me some courage I certainly needed at the moment.

"Yes, please," I replied and Edward reached over to pour us some wine into the flutes. When he was done, he put the bottle back and handed me my glass.

"Thank you," I whispered and took a sip. It was really good and I wondered how much Edward must have spent on such fine alcohol.

We stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, observing the night life taking place in front of our eyes. We exchange a couple of timid glances and I noted with satisfaction that Edward flushed pink slightly when I caught him staring at me at one moment.

"Tell me some more about your family," Edward broke the silence. "I already know your mum is a teacher. Which grade she teaches?"

"The juniors and also seniors in high school, she wanted to be a teacher her entire childhood and adolescence. She loves to read like me, so English literature seemed a natural choice for her. She often complains about having to mark tones of tests and prepare lessons, but I know she loves it and wouldn't like to do anything else."

"You like to read?" my statement caught his attention. "What is our favourite book?"

"Um, I'll tell you, but please don't laugh," I begged. "I know it might sound cliché, but it's _Wuthering Heights_, actually".

I waited for a snicker, but was, once again, surprised.

"I like this book myself," Edward confessed. "Now that's what people should laugh about. It's not really a 'guy' lecture, yet I find it fascinating for some reason. I read a lot, actually."

"Seriously?" I asked, surprised. "Which genres?"

"Various. I like crime and travel stories, but I appreciate classics as well. Tolstoy, Bulgakov..."

I stared at him in fascination. It was the first time in my life I heard a guy confess he loved to read, especially considering his life style. I couldn't believe he knew who writers such as Bulgakov even were.

Edward Cullen was a man of mysteries and surprises, and it only attracted me more and more to him.

We continued to talk about books for a couple more minutes, but then Edward decided to return to his first question.

"Okay, so I know more about your mum. What about your dad?"

I sighed. "My dad... He used to be a cop in the town we come from before I was born and when I was little. He always considered physical exercise to be very important, and since I was three he was encouraging me to try different sports. When it became apparent that I had talent for tennis, he dropped his job and devoted his whole life for me. I will never be able to express how much I'm thankful for that," I finished off, affection lacing my voice.

I saw a flash of sadness in Edward's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. He must have thought about his own father and their arguments. I was truly lucky to have such an understanding and supportive father as Charlie.

"What about your mum?" I inquired softly. "You told me that she is an interior designer..."

Edward's face brightened the same as in the gardens. "She is, and a very good one. People call her from another states, begging her to design their living rooms, bedrooms," he smiled. You could clearly hear the affection in his voice when he spoke about her, and it warmed my heart. I loved that he had such great relations with his mother, since it was important for me to have such with mine as well.

I wanted to know a bit more about his father, though. His confession in the hotel gardens had truly intrigued me, making me curious to know more about their relations.

"And your dad?" I prompted gently, telling him with my eyes that it was okay to confess with me and share his problems and frustration with somebody.

Edward ran the free hand through his hair, sighing deeply, his mood changing instantly. A small frown appeared on his forehead as he spoke.

"He just... he doesn't understand me. He never did. His entire world is medicine," Edward huffed in frustration. "You have to understand that becoming a doctor was always some sort of a tradition in the Cullen family. My grand grandfather, grandfather and father all devoted their life to be in other people's service, to heal them and make their life's better. And me?" he snorted. "In my father's eyes, I'm just some poor excuse for a man. I earn for my life playing sport, taking part in interviews, filling covers of various magazines... This is not what Carlisle envisioned for me. I totally disappointed him and he does not even try to hide it."

Edward closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch, exhaling. You could tell he was mentally exhausted. I wanted to comfort him in any way possible, but, what irritated me, didn't know how.

"I'm sure you did not disappoint him," I finally said quietly. "I'm sure he loves you, maybe he just doesn't know how to express that..."

Edward opened his eyes and looked at me thoughtfully.

"I wish I had your parent," he whispered. "They love you unconditionally, while (my whole life I tried to impress my father, to make his proud and always failed."

"Oh, Edward," I breathed out and acted on impulse, leaning forward and hugging him tightly. I rested my head against his broad chest and sighed, inhaling his masculine scent.

I could tell that he was slightly surprised by my actions, but quickly wrapped his strong arms around me and crushed me to his chest, hiding his face in my hair. The feeling was exquisite. I never wanted to leave his arms.

I don't know how long we stayed like this. It could have been seconds, minutes, and hours. Too soon I felt him lean back slightly and I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his. His gaze bore into me, making me blush, but I found myself unable to avert my eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered his voice intense and gentle at the same time.

I wanted to tell him so many things, but opted for simply nodding my head. I knew he could read all of them in my eyes.

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><p>So what do you think of Carlisle? <strong>Review, please!<strong>

**Check out my profile as well **(I posted a few things there).**  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 7 Cautious

Hello again!

Let me present you with Chapter 7. I had fun writing it, especially the scene in the conference room ;) Chapter 9 is already at my beta and I'm telling you, you're gonna LOVE it.

Thanks for my beta, **Shelby (BriarBaneRose)**.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 7. Cautious<strong>

I leaned back against the wall of the elevator I was currently in, small smile ghosting on my lips. My mind wandered back to last night reminiscing our conversation and the kiss he had placed on my cheek when he had walked me to my room. It was a really sweet kiss, full of unspoken feelings and affection. It caused a shiver to run down my spine and warmed me up pleasantly.

Yeah, I definitely enjoyed it far too much.

I heard the familiar 'ding' and escaped the elevator, heading towards the foyer. I had training in forty minutes. Alice was already waiting in the cab she ordered for only the two of us, since Jasper was already on the spot.

I gripped my tennis bag tighter as I reached the foyer, my gaze wandering around casually. I saw a man standing by the front desk. He looked to be in his fifties, though I couldn't deny that he was still very handsome. He had blond hair and the type of face where you could clearly point out the bones beneath the skin. It did not give him a sharp and unpleasant look – on the contrary, it contributed to his good looks.

He reminded me of someone, though I wasn't really sure who. Soon the mystery was solved, when I heard him repeat his name to the women behind the desk.

"Yes that's it, Cullen. Carlisle Cullen."

Huh. So this was Edward's father. He definitely inherited his good looks from his father.

"Let me check that," the clerk said and started typing something on the keyboard in front of her. Soon she lifted her head and smiled at him. "Yes, I have the reservation in my system. Now, please fill this brochure, sir..." she handed him a sheet of paper and pen.

I watched their exchange for a moment, not caring whether it was rude or not, but vibrating in my pocket reminded me that I had somewhere to be. I dismissed the call quickly and started making my way towards the glass front door. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder a few times as I went, though.

I was sure my and Carlisle Cullen's roads would cross more than this one time, and I was to be proven right.

"Finally!" Alice exclaimed as I took a sit by her side in the taxi. "I was starting to think you fell of the stairs and broke your legs or something. How low can a ride an elevator take?" she shook her head in exasperation.

"I'm sorry," I said in apology. "I got caught by something."

The second I had said the sentence I knew I shouldn't have done that. I could prepare myself for a full interrogation then.

"Something?" Alice asked curiosity evident in her voice. She turned in her seat and put her hands on her hips. "Or someone maybe?"

I shook my head, laughing quietly. She was even kind of scary when she looked at me like that, demanding the answer.

"Okay, someone," I confirmed, knowing very well that the interrogation would not stop at that point.

"Oh really?" Alice mused out loud, cocking an eyebrow. "And may I ask who engaged you attention so strongly?"

I bit my lip, wondering whether I should tell her or not. Being honest with her could bring on me a tone of questions, but I didn't really have a choice. Alice could read me like an open book. She always knew when I was lying.

"Carlisle Cullen."

"Carlisle Cullen? Should I know him?" Alice wondered for a while. I waited for the 'click' when she would add two and two, and of course it happened pretty soon. "Wait... Cullen? Is he in any way related to Edward?"

"Actually, he is," I nodded. "It's his father."

"Huh," was all Alice said. She peered at me curiously for a long moment. I snapped my eyes shut, waiting for the attack to begin.

"How do you even know it?"

I opened my eyes. Alice moved her hands from her hips to her chest, crossing them in front of them and was currently looking at me questioningly.

"Um..." I hesitated. "From Edward."

Alice brow went even further up if it was even possible.

"When did he manage to tell you that? I thought you two only met briefly a few times and then ran together a few days before. Have you two spoken about Carlisle in the gardens?"

"No," I confessed silently, flushing pink. "He told me that last night."

"Last night?"

"When we met on the roof patio," I mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

"Roof patio? What, you two just ran into each other there?" she said sarcastically.

I snorted. "Not really. He asked me to meet him on the roof after my yesterday's match."

"Huh. And how did he know when to look for you?"

"He..." I hesitated again, knowing very well that Alice would think about it much more than there was to think. "He actually watched my match on the stadium."

"What?" Alice exclaimed. "Okay, I officially exclude you from my best friends' list. How could you not tell me that?"

"I didn't think it was that important."

"Bullshit. You were afraid of my interrogation."

"Well, I was right, wasn't I?" I laughed and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Bella," Alice's expression changed from angry to thoughtful, or even a bit concerned? "Please, tell me, sweetheart – what is going on between you and Edward?"

"We are... friends, I guess?" I replied cautiously, feeling a pang of sadness deep inside me. My heart wanted more than 'friends', so much more than I cared to admit.

Alice stared at me intently for a few more seconds, and then breathed out a quiet 'okay', sitting back straight in her seat. I sighed in relief and leaned back as well, closing my eyes. I wondered how Edward's match was going and wished that I had been there with him.

I made an internal resolution. I would do everything to watch his next match on the stadium. I just _had_ to be there for him.

"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered under my breath after another too long ball. This was _so_ not looking good.

* * *

><p>It was Wednesday morning and I was playing my quarter-final match against Jessica Stanley. She was from the USA as well and we had played against each other multiple times already. It had its numerous advantages – I knew everything about her play, meaning her favourite hits, time it took her to reach balls etc. Unfortunately, Jessica knew such things about me as well. We basically knew each other too well and neither one of us could figure out a way to win with the other one.<p>

It was the beginning of the third set. I won the first one after a long and difficult fight and lost the second one in a similar battle. Apparently being thirty-one places lower in the female ranking did nothing to intimidate Jessica. I was getting really nervous, since I was already tired and there was a long set ahead us. Stanley was much better prepared physically to fight for a long time than me, so I needed to figure out a way to end this match really quickly.

Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Edward sitting in one of the lower rows, crossing his fingers all the time and chanting quietly. He looked concerned and it did little to reduce my nervousness.

"Time," the umpire announced and I stood up, heading to the opposite side of the court. I threw my towel towards the ball boy in frustration and took the appropriate position by the baseline. I won the first game and it was my time to receive service.

Jessica squinted her eyes threw the ball in the air, hitting it with great strength. Fortunately for me, it was stopped by the net.

"Second serve."

_Come on_, I whispered to myself to get myself pumped up.

Jessica's second serve was shorter than the first one and I hit it strongly towards the baseline, making a run to the net. Jessica tried to make a lob, but her trial was ineffective and I managed to end the exchange with a spectacular smash.

"Love – Fifteen," the umpire announced among the applause, I fisted my left hand in satisfaction and returned to the end line slowly.

We continued to win the points alternatively agitated with every passing second. I needed to break her in that game, because I was quickly losing energy and would soon be too weak for that.

I gritted my teeth while doing a cross and manage to send a strong ball that hit the inner part of the sideline. Jessica huffed in frustration from the other side of the court.

"Advantage, Miss Swan."

The audience started clapping faster and faster, sensing a sensation hanging in the air.

"Thank you," the umpire murmured to shush the audience and I squatted down slightly, preparing to return the serve.

Jessica fixed her hair, bounced the ball a few times and hit it. The ball landed in the perfect position for me to return it – not to deeply and I could answer with a forehand. I bent my legs and hit the ball strongly, giving it an external rotation. It caught the eternal side of the right side line, making it impossible for Jessica to return it.

I was about to throw my fist in the air, when I heard one of the linesmen shout "Out!"

"What?" I exclaimed and run towards the net. The audience started fussing and whistling. Edward stood up, running his hands through his wild hair. He looked furious.

"Challenge, please!" I shouted towards the chair umpire. I crossed my fingers and held my breath as I waited for the Hawk-Eye system to start working.

The audience was silent as we watched the 3D computer simulation displayed on the Louis Armstrong Stadium video boards. The ball flew towards the sideline and then in the close up we could clearly see that it indeed made a contact with the it. On the board appeared two big letters 'IN'.

"Yes!" I hissed as the whole audience started cheering and clapping. I could see Edward clapping as well and smiling brightly.

"The ball was in. Game, Miss Swan. Miss Swan keeps all the three challenges she had," the umpire announced as I stared making my way towards my bench.

Breaking Jessica in the game boosted my self-confidence and helped me find some hidden reserves of strength. As I expected neither one of us was able to break the other till the end of the set, and soon enough I heard the desired words 'game, set, match, Miss Swan'.

I hid my face in my hands and did the last thing I would have expected.

I started crying with happiness.

* * *

><p>I was surrounded by polite clapping as I took a sit in the chair designed for me. The room was full of journalists and photographers. I was sure I would get blind by the amount of flashing lights soon. Apparently the match was a huge sensation because of both me and Stanley being Americans and the stiff, long battle we had fought in.<p>

"You may ask questions now," the moderator indicated towards the audience.

I was asked the standard set of questions first – my general comments, what did I think about my play, Jessica's play, about the weather conditions, about the court and what was my key to success. I was also asked about the challenge and I answered as politely as I could, trying to keep my nerves at bay. I was still slightly agitated by the whole situation.

Somewhere in the middle of the questioning I noticed Edward enter the room by the back door. I should have really been surprised – he was a tennis player after all, so he had an access to various places. Still, seeing him there taking a sit in a back row and waving timidly at me caused something to stir in my stomach and I felt myself blush slightly.

"Miss Swan," I was brought back to reality by one of the journalists asking another question about the match.

Ten minutes later I felt exhausted and dreamed about coming back to my room and taking a long nap. The moderator must have noticed that.

"Okay, last question, please," he stated and indicated towards a man in the first row.

"Miss Swan, I have a question of a more private nature," he started and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. That did not sound good. "Mister Edward Cullen was seen in the audience during your last two matches. Would you like to comment on that?"

The room got silent as the journalists waited for my answer. The number of flashes, if it was even possible, increases. I could see my father and Alice in the second row. My best friend gasped and put her hand to her mouth, surprise painted on her face. She must have not expected the question as much as me. Charlie looked at me warily, his face seemingly indifferent, though I knew he was as curious of my answer as the whole room.

The moderator looked at me, quietly asking me if I wanted to answer, and I nodded my head gently. Avoiding the question would not be a good move.

I turned back towards the audience and took a deep breath, preparing myself to speak. However, just as I opened my mouth, my eyes connected with Edward's. He was grinning at me, his head cocked to the side. A few journalists in the back had noticed his presence and were now observing him intently, but other than that, he remained unnoticed.

"Edward Cullen is my friend and I'm grateful for his support," I replied cautiously, keeping the eye connection with Edward. I wanted him to know that I really meant that. Alice looked at me curiously, her head following my gaze and I saw realization hit her. She giggled quietly and the reporter sitting at her side looked at her weirdly.

"Thank you," the moderator said, and Jasper and me stood up, heading towards the exit. The people in the audience started gathering their things and standing up as well. Edward was the first to head to the back door, but he stopped in the doorframe and winked at me.

And my heart skipped a beat once again.

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><p><strong>A review, perhaps?<strong>


	8. Chapter 8 Helpless

Hello!

Thanks for the reviews ;) I am pleased to present you with Chapter 8. I am travelling abroad tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to post the next chapter till Friday. Your patience will be rewarded, though - I bet you've all been waiting for a kiss and I can promise you that in Chapter 9 you will get lots of them ;)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 8. Helpless<strong>

I had never felt so helpless in my entire life.

"Come on, Edward, you can do this," I chanted repeatedly, swaying slightly in my seat.

I was currently sitting in the tribunes of Louis Armstrong stadium, watching Edward's quarter-final match. He was playing against James Randall from the USA, one of the best players in the world. Edward had beaten him a few times before, but they hadn't actually played against each other for the last two years.

I had made a resolution to see Edward's next match and I had kept it, though I had fought with myself in the morning whether it was a good idea. I had been interrogated about Edward by so many people lately – my parents, Alice, and yesterday the journalists. Going to the stadium had been bound to bring even more attention to our 'relationship'. I had been determined to support Edward like he had supported me, though, so in the morning I had called Jasper, told him to reschedule our training, dressed nicely, taken a cab and driven to Flushing Meadows courts.

Of course, I was photographed from every direction. I tried to ignore the flashes as I fisted my hands and kept whispering.

Edward was really struggling. He had lost the first and the second set, and it seemed that only a miracle could help him now. I tried to understand where such a change in his play came from. He had won his previous matched without major problems, all of them in three sets. It was true that James was higher in the ranking than him – he occupied the fourth position – but it was a small difference.

It seemed that Edward had somehow lost his constant energy and bravery on the court. He was running helplessly from one side to the other, James successfully attempting to exhaust him. I couldn't see the spark in Edward's eye that was always there and it was worrying me.

Could it have something to do with his father?

"Game, Mister Randall," the umpire announced.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath, wincing slightly. It was 4:2 already and Edward lost his service game again. As much as I wanted to believe in miracles, I had a feeling that the match won't last long.

Edward and James took a sit on the benches to rest for a while. I had not told Edward that I was going to be in the stadium, but Edward must have felt my presence somehow, because he started searching the crowd, as if searching for hope. After a while our eyes met and I shuddered.

I saw the face of a broken man.

I wanted to reach to him, embrace him, help him in some way, but it was not possible. For the next minutes I had to sit there in the bright morning sun, watching Edward struggle and eventually lose the match altogether.

He did not even have the strength to fight anymore. After the last point he simply hung his head down in defeat and wandered slowly to the net.

I bit my lip as I watched him shake hands, gather his stuff and quickly leave the stadium. The audience wasn't very cheerful – Edward was some sort of a celebrity and people liked him much more than the arrogant, overly self-confident James Randall. I was sure they were happy to have an American in the semi-finals, the same as in my case, but they would be much happier if it had been Edward Cullen instead of him.

I sat there for a while, trying to comprehending the turn of events. Edward lost. Would that mean that he would leave soon? Today, tomorrow? Or would he stay to watch me play? So far a thought about him being eliminated before the final had not crossed my mind, and I completely did not know what to expect.

I was woken up from my reverie by the announcement than the next players were entering the stadium. I stood up swiftly and headed towards the exit.

"Miss Swan, would you like to comment on the match?" one of the nearby journalists asked me as I was making my way down the stairs.

"No," I replied simply and ignored all the other questions thrown in my direction.

I had someplace to be.

* * *

><p>I took a big breath and knocked on the door of a locker room number two timidly. When I heard no answer, I entered it slightly and put my head inside.<p>

Edward was sitting on one of the benches close to the door with his head in his hands, staring at the floor. His hair was wet, indicating that he had already taken a shower. He was all alone.

"Go away," he mutters without raising his head.

I shifted uncomfortably; disappointed that he didn't want to talk to me. "Um, okay..."

"Bella?" Edward lifted his head swiftly and his eyes met mine.

I nodded simply, noting the surprise in his voice. He had probably thought I was somebody else at first. I took his silence as an encouragement and took a few steps forward, taking a sit by his side. We stared at each other for the next few seconds and then I couldn't suppress my urges to comfort him anymore.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, trying to pour all my emotions and feelings into that simple hug. Edward's arms sneaked around my waist as well, crushing me to him. He buried his head in my hair, inhaling and exhaling deeply. The closeness would have thrilled me and steered my mind into the not entirely appropriate directions, had it not been for the circumstances we were currently in. Not my entire focus was Edward and only him.

After a minute or so his grip on my body started loosening and soon he released me, taking my right hand in his. He was avoiding my gaze, looking at the wall instead.

"Edward, what happened?" I asked him gently, hoping he would give me some answers.

He run's his free hand through his hair, shaking his head slightly.

"I just... I don't know," he said quietly, his eyes meeting mine. He looked as confused as I felt. "I guess it was a mix... A headache, my quarrel with Carlisle in the morning, Randall's great disposition..."

"You had an argument with your father?" I inquired, closing my eyes. I was sure that that was the main reason why Edward lost today and I could feel myself getting angry at Carlisle Cullen. It would be better for him if our roads didn't cross later in the day, because it would definitely not be a pleasant meeting.

"Yeah," Edward sighed, "but I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," I said softly.

"I'm just so... So fucking disappointed, I really hoped to reach the final or at least semi-finals this year," Edward murmured through gritted teeth, and I squeezed his hand.

"I know," I replied, my heart hurting at the sight of the sadness in his eyes. "I know."

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><p>I returned from my training that evening, feeling physically and mentally exhausted. I was slightly comforted by Edward's confirmation that he wasn't going to leave until Sunday, but my mind kept replaying the match and our conversation, making it impossible for me to relax.<p>

Alice and Jasper looked at me concerned during my whole training, exchanging glances. I was glad that they had decided not to say anything or comment on the match. Unfortunately, Jasper had to reprimand me more times than usually, because I kept losing my concentration, and in the end he decided to end the training half an hour earlier than he had planned.

When I was finally in my room, I changed into a pair of comfortable sweats and lay down on the bed, deciding to skip dinner. I wasn't really hungry, and I wanted to avoid Charlie's scrutinising gaze.

I was watching some talk show when I heard a quiet knocking on my door. I turned the TV off quickly and put the remote on my nightstand, rising up from the bed.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight that appeared in front of my eyes when I had opened the door.

"Edward?" I choked out, taking in his whole form. He looked devastated, his hair in complete disarray, his head trembling slightly, his eyes oh so sad. Without another word I took his hand and pulled him inside the room, knocking the door shut with my feet. We stopped in the centre of the room. Before I had time to say anything else Edward's strong arms wrapped around me, crushing me to his chest even stronger than in the locker room. He rested his forehead against the crook of my neck and started sobbing violently.

At first I stood motionless, taken aback and not quite knowing what to do. When I had come to my senses, I hugged him back tightly, putting my hands on his back and rubbing my palms against it in a soothing manner.

"Shh, it's okay, I've got you, Edward, it's okay," I kept rambling quietly. I don't know if my words made any sense, but I wanted to comfort him oh so much. For the second time that day, I felt completely helpless, and I really didn't like the feeling.

I don't know how long we stood there, bodies pressed to each other, limbs entangled. It could have been very well hours, thought I doubted we would be able to keep a standing position for that long. When Edward's crying ceased, I moved my lips to his ear.

"Come on, let's sit," I whispered and he nodded against my neck, freeing me from his grasp and allowing me to lead us to the bed, holding my hand again. I could really get used to the feeling. Hell, I already loved it.

We sat at the edge of my bed for a few minutes, Edward staring at the wall while I looked at him intently, trying to figure out what we going on. Finally, after what seemed like another forever, he inhaled deeply and started speaking.

"I... had a talk with Carlisle," he said, his voice slightly sarcastic. Obviously he did not consider it to be a 'talk' at all. I winced, expecting what he would say next.

"I don't think I need to tell you what we spoke about, it's obvious. Carlisle... He said some really unpleasant words to me," he closed his eyes and I squeezed his hand, mutely encouraging him to go on. "He said that I'm a failure as a man and son. I have this stupid job, playing 'tennis'," he spat out, his breathing quickening. "He told me that he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that I won't become a doctor and could be a decent sportsman after all, but apparently, I '_cannot fucking win a single fucking match...'_," Edward growled through gritted teeth and I felt pain spread through my entire chest.

How could any father treat his own child like this? I couldn't comprehend that. I fought with Charlie many times, all the time knowing that he loved me with his whole heart and wanted the best for me. My parents always supported me in all my plans, devoting their lives to make my dreams come true.

Carlisle Cullen apparently had no heart at all. I could not understand how such a lovely person as Esme could marry such a dickhead.

I did not know what to say. All the words of reassurance suddenly seemed too empty or foolish. How could I tell Edward that his father for sure loved him in some way when I didn't believe that? All that seemed appropriate now was sit there and give vent to his feelings by talking.

"You know what is the worst?" Edward said quietly, his eyes studying the flowery pattern on the wall. "That I really thought that we could finally become reconciled. After all, he had made this effort to fly across the country to New York... I was _so_ fucking wrong," he breathed out, hiding his head in his hands. "This quarrel in the morning... It distracted me a bit and maybe that's why I lost, but it was not nearly as bad as the conversation we had tonight. I had never thought I would hear such word's coming from my own father's mouth."

_Me neither_, I added in my head and sneaked my left arm around his waist, pulling him towards me.

I knew I couldn't allow him to return in this state to his room. He could go somewhere and drink himself into oblivion or do something really stupid. I fought with myself for a few seconds. I had my principles, my 'no distractions' rule, and my match tomorrow... All of them seemed so unimportant at the moment. My heart quickly won with my common sense and soon I found myself asking Edward to take his shoes off.

"What?" he asked me in surprise.

"Just do it," I urged him. He did not object any more, silently bending and taking his shoes off. He looked like he didn't have the energy to engage himself into another argument with anybody.

I slipped my feet out of my slippers and climbed onto the bed, pulling Edward with me. He looked at me disbelievingly, but I shook my head, silently begging him not to question my actions. Soon we were both lying on the bed on our sides, looking at each other. I was glad that Edward was in sweats as well knowing he would be comfortable in them. I reached up with my right hand, feeling for the light switch.

The darkness enveloped the room. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest and I was sure that Edward could hear it. We waited a few second for our eyes to adjust to the darkness, neither one of us moving. When we finally could see each other again, Edward reached out timidly with his right arm, giving me time and space to shift away if I wanted to, and seeing no resistance, wrapped it around my midsection, pulling me to him. I rested my head against his chest and sighed deeply. He buried his head in my hair, running his fingers through my hair lightly, causing me to shiver. The gesture was so loving and so comforting that I felt like crying. I was supposed to be the one reassuring him, and here I was, taking comfort in his touch.

Soon Edward's breath started evening out. He was truly tired after the match and the day's events. I continued to hold him, afraid that my tiniest movement might wake him up. No matter how much I tried, though, I couldn't fall asleep myself. My head was spinning from all the anger towards Carlisle, sympathy towards Edward and overwhelming sadness that was filling my heart.

I knew that I would be tired in the morning and it would certainly not help me win my match, so I tried to relax by listening to Edward's steady heartbeat. A few minutes later I felt myself drifting off slowly to sleep in his warm arms.

Before I fell asleep, though, I made a mental note to visit somebody's room in the morning before I would leave for the stadium.

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><p>Who else feels like hugging Edward?<p>

**Review, please!**


	9. Chapter 9 Insolent

Hello from Greece!

The weather here is really great and I'm in a very good mood, so I decided to post Chapter 9 earlier than I planned.

**The story is rated M for a reason** and you are going to see this reason very clearly in this chapter. The chapter is unbetaed, but I will post the betaed version as soon as possible. This is the last chapter that was pre-written, but I'm going to start Chapter 10 tonight.

Okay, enough with the talking (or writing, for that matter). You're sooo going to enjoy this chapter :) It's my favourite so far and, as you will notice, definitely the longest one.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 9. Insolent<strong>

I woke up the next morning surrounded by a pair of warm arms. It took me a few seconds to realize who did they belong to, but soon a small smile spread across my lips and I snuggled into the warmth, pressing my back into Edward's chest. I looked at the alarm clock and sighed in relief. I had forgotten to set it the day before and for a split of a second I was afraid that I was late for my match, but fortunately it was only seven. I still had some time.

My motion must have woken Edward up, because I felt his head bury further in my hair and heard a quiet 'good morning'.

"Good morning," I replied softly and closed my eyes. I was afraid to face the day. I did not really know what to expect – what mood Edward would be in, how would the conversation I had planned go, and most importantly I had a difficult match ahead of myself.

"What time is it?" Edward mumbled.

"It's only seven, but I need to get up soon," I said, a hint of regret audible in my voice. I was extremely comfortable and didn't really want to leave his arms. I turned slowly to face him. He didn't look well – his eyes were swollen and still sad, thought he was smiling softly.

"Thank you for yesterday, Bella. I couldn't really go to Emmett, since his girlfriend flew over yesterday and he was taking her for a nice dinner, and I was in desperate need for a friend–"

"Edward," I interrupted him gently, pressing my fingers to his lips. "You don't need to explain yourself to me. I'm glad that you trusted me enough to turn to me."

"Have I ever told you how incredible you are?"

I blushed crimson red and looked down. I felt him move forward slightly and press his mouth to my forehead. He let his lips linger there for a few seconds and my eyes closed involuntarily.

Soon it was time for me to get up. I needed to take a shower and visit a certain room before breakfast at eight.

I walked Edward to the door of my room, where he pulled me into a tight hug, wishing me good luck and promising to be at the stadium precisely at two p.m. I showered quickly, pulled on some jeans, put on a t-shirt a looked at my wristwatch. I still had about twenty minutes.

After leaving my apartment, I headed downstairs to the reception desk. The clerk was a man. Perfect. It was time to turn on my charm. I took off the elastic band from my hair and shook my head a little before approaching the desk.

"Hi," I said and the man lifted his head. I smiled brightly and he grinned in return.

"Hello, how may I help you, Miss Swan?"

I was not surprised that he knew my name – lately most people did. I started twirling a strand of hair round my finger.

"I have this little request..." I leaned forward slightly and the man's smile widened. I did think about how stupid I must have looked.

"Anything," he breathed out, clearly dazzled.

"Could you please tell me which room Mr. Carlisle Cullen is staying in?"

The man's smile faltered a bit.

"Um, Miss Swan, it's against our policy to give such information to non-relatives–"

"Please," I said, my eyelashes fluttering in what I hoped was a seductive manner. I probably just looked funny, but I didn't care. "I have something for his son, Edward. I didn't manage to catch him in his room, and I think he may be in his father's..." I trailed off and saw the clerk hesitate. He must have heard the rumours about me and Edward, making my lie believable to him.

"Um..." he looked around, making sure that there were not managers in sight. "Alright," he relented and turned towards his computer. I did a fist pump inside. "He's staying in the room 202."

"Thank you very much..." I looked at his badge, "George."

He nodded his head. "Just don't tell anybody I told you that, okay? I could get fired for that," he said quietly, looking around one more and I immediately felt bad for putting him in such a position.

"I won't," I promised and made a mental note to left him a tip while checking out. "Thanks."

I sprinted down the foyer to the elevators and took a ride to the second floor. When the lift door opened I escaped quickly and started looking for the right number. A minute later I was standing in front of Carlisle Cullen's room.

I inhaled deeply, running over my speech in my head one more time, and knocked loudly. A moment later the door swung open and I came face to face with Edward's father. Thank God, he was in normal clothes instead of pyjamas. He looked at me blankly.

"Hello... Do we know each other?"

I laughed quietly, shaking my head. The adrenaline was flowing through my blood vessels. "No, actually, we don't, but we will soon."

"Excuse me?" Carlisle frowned.

"I'm Edward's friend," I said and Carlisle winced visibly. "Isabella Swan, a tennis player, fifth in the female ranking."

"Yes, I heard about you," Carlisle confirmed, his frown deepening. "I still don't understand what are you doing in front of my hotel room at–" he glanced at his wristwatch "almost eight in the morning, though."

"Oh, I'm here to just ask you something quickly," I replied, still smiling brightly, though I felt anything but friendliness towards this man. It was time to cut the crap. "How such a dickhead as you could raise such as amazing, caring man as Edward?"

"How dare you?" Carlisle exclaimed. "How dare you come to my room and call me that?"

"I'm just curious," I shrugged, not intimidated by his anger. I was too enraged myself. "It does not seem possible that you and Edward have the same blood running through your bodies. He would never call his own son 'a failure'," I spat out, my smile quickly changing into a scowl.

"That's enough," Carlisle growled and made a move to close the door, but I anticipated his actions, putting my left foot into the doorway.

"I'm not finished yet," I said firmly. "I have a little piece of advice for you. If you ever want your son to talk to you again, you should better apologize to him as soon as possible. I'm not sure he will want to listen to you, but I know how important it has always been for him to be on good terms with you. You clearly do not realize that, Carlisle Cullen, but you have an amazing son who loves you with his whole heart and always tried to impress you and make you proud of him. If I were you, I would be seeking him now to beg for his forgiveness. I'm so glad I'm not a selfish prick that you are, though," I snorted. "Now, if you'll excuse me," I said politely and turned on my heel, leaving the stunned man in the doorway.

* * *

><p>The adrenaline was still flowing through my veins when I entered Arthur Ashe stadium in the afternoon. It was making each of my hits faster, stronger and more precise.<p>

"Game, Miss Swan," the umpire announced after yet another wonderful cross of mine. I heard Jane Volturi, my American opponent in this semi-final, curse under her breath. She was the only sister of Aro Volturi, a tennis player who Edward defeated in the fourth round. I was on a really good way to defeat the other Volturi in this tournament as well.

As promised, Edward was on the stadium. He did not seemed to care about being constantly photographed, though I knew how tiring it could be. Our presence on each other's matches was talked about in the tennis world, and we could only wait for one of the gossip magazines covers to be graced by our photo. I couldn't deny myself having him in the stadium, though. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to win if he weren't there anymore, and the thought was a bit scaring. I was completely under his spell.

I took my position on the baseline, preparing for a return. The audience was cheering loudly and all the journalists were alert; I won the first set and it was 5:3 in the second set. I was four balls away from winning the match, and I was playing against the top seed in this year's US Open.

The crowd was smelling a sensation.

"Silence, please," the umpire, a well-known Belgian woman, said. "Thank you."

I crouched slightly and prepared for the hit. Fortunately, Jane's first serve stopped against the net.

"Second serve."

I took a few steps into the court, knowing the serve would be shorter. As I expected, the ball hit the middle of the right service court, and it was easy to return it along the side line with my forehand. I added an outward spin as well to crush Jane even further.

She had no chance to return the ball, instead resigned to watch as it hit the line perfectly in the middle.

"Love – fifteen."

The whole audience was clapping loudly and I heard some screams "come on, Bella!" I smiled, and went back to the baseline.

The next two services were followed by short exchanges which I spectacularly won. Shouts and whistles were coming from everywhere now and the umpire had problems to silence the audience.

This was it. I had three break points. I needed just one point to finally, after so many years of dreaming about it, reach the final of one of the greatest tennis tournaments, US Open.

Jane looked very concentrated as she bounced the ball a few times and fixed her hair. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and hit.

I must say, I was taken aback by the direction she had chosen. She had served very few balls towards the center service line throughout the whole match. Apparently, she had wanted to surprise me this time, and she actually managed to do so . Fortunately, he ball landed on the outside of the line.

"Out!" one of the linesmen shouted.

The audience started fussing as Jane helplessly raised her finger, indicating that she wanted a challenge. I put my hands on my hips and stood calmly, confident that it was an out.

People started clapping faster and faster as we all watched the 3D computer simulation of the hit. Just as I thought, a few seconds later three big letters 'IN' appeared on the video boards.

Jane dropped her head in defeat as the audience erupted in screams and applause yet again. The umpire shifted slightly in her chair, for sure relieved that the linesman was right. Judges didn't like to admit to being wrong.

"Second serve."

Everybody held their breaths as Jane and me took our positions on the court. I expected a safe serve, not one of desperation, but this time I was mistaken, since Jane's second serve was stopped by the net.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as everybody stood up, clapping loudly and cheering. I looked around the audience, noticing journalists scribbling fast and photographers taking numerous photos of myself as well as Edward, who was now standing among others, beaming from happiness. I flashed him a bright smile and ran to the net for the traditional round of handshaking. Jane congratulated me quietly, not really meeting my gaze, and after shaking hands with the umpire I ran to my box, where Alice, Jasper and Charlie were already waiting for me, exhilarated.

"I'm so proud of you!" Alice exclaimed, but I could barely hear her among the fuss. I dropped my racquet and hugged all three of them before making before making a round around the court, thanking the audience for their amazing support.

"So, Miss Swan," the journalist who traditionally interviewed a winner before he or she left the court said a few minutes later, "how does it feel to be a US Open finalist?"

"Incredible."

* * *

><p>I didn't have time to talk to Edward before the press conference, and then Alice, Charlie and my brilliant coach took me to a restaurant to celebrate. I received a heart-warming call from Renee as well, who informed me that she would be flying over on the next day. I was really looking forward to having her there. My family's and friends' support me during the most important match of my life was very important to me.<p>

I convinced Alice that I was tired and didn't feel like going to drinks in the evening. I was sitting in the dining room of our hotel, finishing dinner, when I heard a velvet voice coming from my left.

"May I join you?"

My ears instantly recognized the voice and my heart skipped a bit. I raised my head and my eyes locked with Edward's emerald ones. He winked at me and motioned towards the empty chair by my side.

"Uh, sure," I stuttered, nodding my head. I honestly did not expect him there and needed a few seconds to make sure I had my body's reactions under control.

Edward smiled crookedly at me and pushed the chair back, taking a sit.

"I did not have the opportunity to congratulate you myself," he said. "I didn't find you in your room, so I thought I would find you here."

"Well, you were right," I smiled and looked at him intently. He looked much happier than the night before or even this morning. Dark circles were still under his eyes, but his shoulders were relaxed and his smile natural. I wondered whether he had already had a conversation with Carlisle, but decided against asking him about that. I didn't want to spoil his good mood, and I was sure he would tell me if he actually had.

"Um, you're not gonna eat?" I asked, indicating with my chin towards his empty platter.

"Nah, I ate earlier and I'm not really hungry. Though I would be up to sharing a dessert with you," he smiled blindingly and I blushed furiously. Edward took my silence as an encouragement and stoop up, heading towards the buffet. He returned soon with a big piece of a chocolate cake with whipped cream on top. I felt my salivary glands working faster at the mere sight of it.

"I should have asked first I you liked chocolate–" Edward started, but I raised my hand to stop him.

"I love it," I reassured him and pushed my dinner plate away, grabbing one of the smaller forks. Edward smiled in relief and reached for one as well. We both took a taste and I couldn't help but moan in appreciation. Something flashed in Edward's eyes at the sound, but he quickly composed himself and soon we fell into an easy conversation. We avoided the topic of the tournament, concentrating on our favourite dishes and drinks. When the cake almost disappeared from the place, I decided on a bold move.

"Would you like to come over to my room?" I asked hesitantly. "We could relax a bit, watch a movie or something..." I bit my lip and held my breath, anxiously waiting for his answer.

My fear of humiliation disappeared when Edward grinned and nodded his head eagerly.

"Alright, but I get to choose the film."

"Deal," I laughed and we stoop up, making our way out of the dining room. We were in my room in no time. I blushed slightly when I realized that we would have to sit on the bed, but Edward didn't look shy at all. He took off his shoes and leaned back against the pillows, patting the space on his left. I hesitantly obeyed.

"You don't have any DVDs with you, do you?"

"No," I shook my head. "We will have to find something on TV."

"Fine by me," Edward shrugged and grabbed the remote. After a few minutes of switching channels familiar faces appeared on the screen. The movie was just starting.

"Perfect," Edward giggled and increased the volume. I looked at him disbelievingly.

"_Notting Hill_? Really?"

"What?" he laughed. "There is nothing wrong with a good romantic comedy."

"I didn't take you for such a type of guy."

"You don't know many things about me yet," he winked. "Besides, I may or may not have a slight crush on Julia Roberts."

"Typical," I commented, but smiled nevertheless. Edward put the remote back and settled comfortably against the pillows, raising his left arm and motioning for me to snuggle into his side. I hesitated for a second, but then decided to throw all my uncertainties out of the window. I rested my head against Edward's firm chest, his arm circling my waist and pulling me further into him.

Though I had seen the movie many time before, I still enjoyed it. Edward's funny comments were a perfect addition. I don't remember the last time I laughed so much. We remained silent during the Julie and Hugh's bed scene, but I noticed that Edward's hold on my body became a bit tighter.

Much too soon, the movie was over and Edward reached for the remote, turning the TV off. He put the remote back on my nightstand and turned his face to me.

"It's late and I'm sure you want to rest. I should go," he said, but his eyes told me something completely different. They were burning with surprising intensity, and it caused a shiver to run down my spine.

"You should," I whispered, but instead of pulling away I snuggled even more into him.

We continued to look at each other, neither one of us saying anything, and then I saw him lean forward slightly, his lips descending towards mine. He didn't break the eye contact, searching for any sign of hesitation on my part. He found none, though. Whether I wanted this or not, my heart was already his. I licked my lips with the tip of my tongue and closed my eyes just before his mouth press to mine.

Fireworks erupted in my stomach and I gasped against his lips. I was sure I had never felt this way in my entire life. It was probably due to the fact that I had never been kissed, but it was simply impossible that there was any other guy who would be able to make me feel this way. Edward's mouth started moving hesitantly against mine, giving me time to adjust to the new, overwhelming feeling. I slowly raised my hands and run them up his chest. I tangled them into his hair and tugged lightly, eliciting a moan from him. It empowered me a bit, and I decided to run my tongue across his lips. He granted me the access immediately, parting his mouth.

Our tongues met tentatively for the first time, and the sensation was indescribable. He tasted of chocolate and orange juice and some additional flavour that I couldn't recognize. He pulled me closer to himself, his right hand wounding into my hair to angle my head in the way he liked. Much too soon our lungs were burning and our mouth had to separate in order for us to take a breath, but Edward's lips never left my body. They shifted to my check, then he dragged them along my neck and across my collarbone, nibbling slightly. I was emitting sounds that I normally would be mortified about, but I couldn't find it in myself to care.

By the time his lips returned to mine, my resolve not to go too far had melted completely. I needed him, all of him, in a way unknown to me before and a bit scaring, actually, yet exciting and arousing at the same time. Edward's hands, tentative at first, became bolder in their ministrations. I gasped when his fingers hesitantly traced the wire of my bra. He leaned his head back, gauging my reaction. When he found no resistance, his right hand gently cupped my left breast and squeezed it. I had to bit my lip to keep myself from whimpering out loud. Instinctively, I pushed my chest forward towards his palm and it was his turn to moan. He massaged my breasts tenderly, running his hands over my puckered nipples, while his mouth descended onto mine once again. Our kisses were no longer sweet and gentle, but feverish and passionate. My head was spinning from the lack of oxygen, but I didn't want to stop the exploration of his mouth.

I felt myself being lowered on the mattress and soon Edward was hovering over me, one of his legs nudging my legs apart and setting between them. He was looking down at me with fire and adoration in his eyes, and I felt myself shudder once again under the intensity of his gaze.

"Bella," his voice was hoarse and so incredibly arousing, "we'd better stop now, because soon I won't be able to control myself."

"I don't want you to stop," I whispered, desperation evident in my voice. Edward continued to gaze at me intently, and after a few seconds his eyes softened. He brought his right hand to my cheek reverently, palming it. I leaned into his touch and my eyes fluttered close. When I opened them again, his lips were much closer to mine than before.

"Okay," he murmured and kissed me gently.

Soon our kisses became passionate once again and Edward's hand dipped under my shirt, touching my bare skin. He traced lazy patters with his thumb as his mouth continued to move over mine, and I shivered under his touch. When his fingers started pushing my shirt up, I raised my hands and allowed him to pull it over my head. He discarded it onto the floor and leaned back slightly to look down at me.

I blushed and averted my gaze. It was the first time any male specimen was looking at my breasts covered only by my bra since I had developed something worth looking at. I knew Edward had been with many women before me and probably had certain expectations. What if my breasts were too small for his liking? What if he didn't like what he saw? My tormenting myself was stopped by Edward reaching out with his hand and turning my head back towards his.

"You're beautiful," he whispered tenderly, his eyes making me believe what he was telling me. His head dropped and he placed a kiss over my heart, letting his lips linger there for a while. My heart was beating erratically against my chest and I was sure he could hear the effect he had on me perfectly well.

His mouth returned back mine and I moved my hands from around his back to the collar of his shirt. They were shaking slightly as I unbuttoned the first button, but I was gaining confidence with every next one. When his shirt was fully unbuttoned, our lips separated so that Edward could push it off his shoulders and onto the floor. I took a moment to sweep my eyes over his chest. Of course, it was defined and muscular due to the years of training and playing tennis, but not overly, just the perfect way. My fingers itched to touch it, and I slowly lifted my right hand, pressing my palm to the skin over his heart. It was beating as fast as mine, if not faster. He gazed down at me adoringly.

"You're beautiful, too," I said and started running my hands down his chest. When I reached the southern parts of his stomach, he shuddered violently and leaned down to kiss me passionately.

Slowly we got rid of the rest of our clothing, our arms and lips exploring every newfound area with touches and kisses. When we were in our underwear only, Edward stopped his ministrations and searched my face.

"Are you sure?" he whispered hoarsely, the sound making me want to clench my legs to relieve the ache between them somehow.

"Yes," I breathed out. I knew it was time to make a confessesion to him.

"Edward," I started hesitantly and bit my bottom lip, blushing furiously. Here I was, almost naked under this glorious man and about to have sex with him, and yet I was embarrassed to talk about sex.

"Yeah?" he prompted gently, releasing my lip from under my teeth. It was probably for good, because I was close to damaging it because of my nervousness.

"I... Um..." Why it was so hard to say the words? "I need to confess you something. I never really had a boyfriend in my life and I'm not into casual sex," I blushed even further while saying the word, but did not avert my gaze this time, "so I'm still a v-virgin."

Edward's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't look like he was about to laugh at my inexperience, so I relaxed a bit. He just nodded his head once.

"I promise to be as gentle as possible, but there probably will be some pain," he said quietly.

"I know, but I trust you," I replied without hesitation. I had never trusted anybody so much in my entire life.

Edward nodded once again and glanced at his trousers, discarded on the floor.

"Are you on the pill or do we need a condom?"

"I'm on the pill," I assured him. "Female tennis players have no other choice really."

"Still, you know that I was with other women before. I get checked regularly, but..."

I pressed my fingers to his smooth lips to silence him, trying to ignore the pang of jealousy.

"I really trust you," I repeated, my hands sliding to his waist and eagerly pulling on the material of his boxer briefs.

Finally, Edward relented, his hands covering mine as he helped me pull off his undergarment. I tried not to stare, but soon curiosity won over and I allowed myself a quick pick at his manhood. My eyes widened when I took him in, and for I while I wondered how in the world he would fit in. Edward raised his left hand and pressed the palm of it to the blush on my cheek.

"See something you like?" he joked, his eyes shining.

"Maybe," I replied, shrugging slightly to feign indifference, but I was really impressed.

Soon we got rid of the last two pieces of clothing covering my body and it was Edward's turn to explore my body with his eyes. Self-conscious, I raised my arms to try and cover my bare breasts, but he stopped me.

"Don't," Edward whispered, swallowing thickly as his gaze run from my breasts to my womanhood. When he looked at me again, there was fire in his eyes.

"God, I need you," he half-said, half-moaned, and the urge to squeeze my legs became overwhelming once again.

His lips crushed onto mine once again, but this time I was aware of Edward's movements as he moved between my legs and spread them a little, positioning his member at my entrance. The nervousness returned once again and I was sure Edward could see it in my eyes.

"This may hurt a little," he said when we broke the kiss.

"I know," I breathed out against his lips, "but I don't care. I just need to feel you inside me."

"I'll try to be as gentle as possible."

I nodded my head and swallowed, bracing for the pain. I grabbed Edward's sides tightly and closed my eyes.

And then, in one swift motion, her entered me.

I whimpered quietly and unconsciously dig my fingers into his skin, a tear escaping my eye. The pain was not excruciating, but it was definitely present. I felt stretched in an uncomfortable way and weirdly full. Edward kissed my tears away and started pressing his lips to my face, neck, chest, whispering 'I'm sorry' again and again. He held still inside me, giving me time to adjust, and for that I was grateful.

Soon the pain started fading away and I felt more comfortable. I opened my eyes slowly and relaxed my grip of Edward, moving my hips upwards slightly to indicate that I was ready for him to move. His eyes met mine and he must have got the hint, because I felt him pull out and then trust inside once again.

We developed a steady and slow rhythm, my hips raising slightly to meet Edward's. By the way he grunted and quivered I could tell it was difficult for him to control himself and go so slowly, though. We kept the eye connection the entire time. I still felt a bit uncomfortable, but the dull ache was starting to dissipate. In its place appeared an overwhelming, pleasant sensation. I started moving my hips higher and faster, seeking more of that delicious friction. Edward's thrusts got faster as well. One of his hands moved southward across my stomach to my womanhood. He run is fingers over the soft curls covering my nether regions, and then pressed his thumb to my clitoris. I gasped at the sensation and wrapped my hands around his shoulders tightly. We were both moaning embarrassingly loud at that moment, but neither one of us cared.

Edward's long and skilled fingers played with my folds and soon they, together with his deep thrusts, brought me over the edge. I felt my back arch and my toes curl as something snapped inside of me. I screamed out Edward's name and my eyes closed. Edward grunted into my ear and increased the speed of his thrusts, his warm seed filling me a few seconds later. We collapsed against each other, utterly spent. Edward tried to move his heavy body off mine, but I wrapped my hands around him even tighter, keeping him in place. The feeling of his naked body pressed to mine was exquisite.

We lay still for a few minutes. The only sounds filling the room were our ragged breaths and soft sighs. Edward's head remained buried in my neck, his lips pressing to my damp skin from time to time. When we calmed down considerably, Edward lifted his head and kissed me lightly.

"I'll be right back," he whispered and raised quickly from the bed.

Half a minute later he was back with a small towel, the material wet in one corner. He kneeled down on the bed and moved the towel between my legs, sweeping back and forth to clean me up. The gesture was so considerate and so loving that it brought tears to my eyes. When he was done, he threw it to the side and gazed down at me with adoration.

"Thank you," I said, my voice breaking slightly at the end.

Edward's response was a sweet kiss. We let our hands explore and caress each other's bodies lazily for some time, and then Edward lay down on the bed, turning off the light and pulling me with his left arm to his chest. I rested my head on his chest and sighed deeply, feeling Edward's lips press to my hair. The air felt heated and, truthfully, smelt like sex. I found the combination surprisingly pleasant.

"We'll talk in the morning, alright? Let's sleep, you need to rest."

I gladly obeyed, feeling the exhaustion creeping in. It didn't take me long to fall into a restful sleep.

Just before my mind shut off, though, I heard Edward murmur into my hair:

"You are my life now."

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><p><strong>*swoon*<strong>

**So, did you like it? Okay, I know you did ;) Any thoughts?**

**Review, please!**


	10. Chapter 10 Misunderstood

Hello, hello,

I'm sorry you had to wait a whole week for the next chapter. Firstly, it wasn't pre-written, so it actually took me a few days to write it. In addition to that, I was in another country till Friday, I'm starting a university in a few days and consequently moving to the capital city, and so on.

There is a lot of drama going on in this chapter, but I reckon that every story has to have a bit of drama to be interesting, even a romance, otherwise nobody would read it ;)

We are getting close to the end. It's going to be one more chapter plus an epilogue. The big match is coming...

The chapter is unbetaed, so I'm sorry for all the mistakes you might find.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Please check out a manip made specifically for this fanfiction by Lolypop82: <strong>

**lolypop82arg(.)blogspot(.)com(/)2011(/)09(/)game-set-match(.)html**

**Huge thanks to Lolypop and bellastew (for asking her to make it). I owe you both!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10. Misunderstood<strong>

I was woken up by the sunlight caressing the naked skin of my exposed back. Images of the night before started filling my head and I felt a blush spread across my body. I didn't feel like opening my eyes just yet, so I simply snuggled further into the heat of Edward's chest.

Edward. I had really done it. I had slept with him the night before. It was a bit hard to comprehend. There were thousands of reasons why I shouldn't have done that, yet I certainly didn't regret it. For the first time in my life I was completely sure of my decision and I knew I would never be able to regret it.

Edward must have noticed me stir, because his arm tightened around me and his lips pressed to the top of my head. I sighed deeply against his smooth chest, unwilling to get up.

"Hi," I mumbled sleepily into his chest.

"Hi yourself," Edward replied brightly. His voice was much clearer than mine – he must have been awake for a while now.

I was fully aware of the fact that my breasts were partly exposed, but I couldn't find it in me to care. My shyness seemed to have disappeared the moment Edward and I connected into one. Besides, the feeling of our naked bodies pressed together was too exquisite to try and change that.

It took me a few seconds to remind myself why I had to get up soon. I sighed again and slowly opened my eyes. I lifted my head slightly until I could look at Edward. His eyes were sparkling and he was smiling softly. I realized I had never seen him so happy before, and the thought that I was the cause of his happiness made my heart swell.

"What time is it?" I asked, stretching a bit.

"Don't worry, it's only eight. You slept so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you up."

When his words finally registered in my mind, I gasped and jumped out of bed, not caring to cover myself with any sort of material. I instantly missed the heat of the Edward's body, but my mind was focused on something else.

"Bella, what's going on?" I could hear worry in Edward's voice. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him lift himself up to a sitting position, his head against the headboard.

"What's going on? What's going on?" I repeated breathlessly as I opened my closet violently and started searching for my sweats, sarcasm audible in my voice. "It's eight! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"It's still early," Edward replied, sounding confused. "I told you, you slept so peacefully that I–"

"You know I have a training in the morning!" I interrupted him harshly, quickly putting on the first pair of underwear that I found. I wished I had time for a quick shower, but it was not possible.

"Bella, slow down," Edward said gently and got out of bed, reaching for his boxers briefs and putting them on in one swift motion. He stood up and faced me, running a hand through his hair and consequently making it even more tousled. Half-naked, he looked so incredibly sexy that for a second I stopped my actions and considered throwing myself on him, but quickly shook my head to rid myself of these ideas. I was running out of time.

He made a few steps forward towards me and tried to embrace me, but I escaped his touch and started pulling on my sweats.

"Edward, you know how important this tournament is for me. I really need these few extra trainings. It doesn't matter that you wanted me to rest – you should have woken me up," I explained, trying to keep my irritation out of my voice, though I had a feeling that I was failing miserably.

"I understand that you want to win this US Open, but you cannot forget that you need to rest from time to time, Bella. I'm sure Jasper won't mind that you slept in a bit. I just thought–"

"Well, you thought wrong," I hissed and Edward flinched visibly. Instantly, I felt a pang of remorse. I run my hand over my face, ashamed and in need to apologise. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, making a step forward and putting my hand on Edward's arm. "It's just that this tournament is the most important thing in world to me. I cannot be distracted by anything."

"So I'm just that, a distraction?" Edward asked harshly, moving his arm away from touch.

"No!" I exclaimed, panic creeping in. "That's not what I meant. I–"

"That's exactly what you meant. "What we have... _had _is not important to you. You only care about winning," Edward spit out. He leaned down and started grabbing the elements of his clothing from the floor, pulling them on angrily.

"Edward, please, let me explain," I begged, my eyes slowly filling with tears. I cursed myself and the lack of filter in my mouth.

"Oh, you've explained yourself alright," Edward retorted and took a sit on the bed to lace his shoes. I watched helplessly as he quickly finished the task and stood up. "Don't worry, I won't be distracting you anymore," he said calmly, pain and anger mixed in his eyes.

"Please..." I whispered, my gaze following him as he crossed the room and left it quickly without as much as looking at me. I fell to my knees and started sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for air.

I felt as though somebody ripped a hole in my chest.

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><p>I managed to compose myself somehow and get to the training, though might as well not have bothered. I was completely useless on the court – my balls were constantly too long, too short or they were hitting the net. I couldn't stop thinking about my argument with Edward. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his hurt face.<p>

The fact that the court was surrounded by journalists didn't help either. They couldn't be directly on tribunes, but they were looking at the training from behind the fence. I could hear their whispers as they commented on every of my failed shots, and it certainly wasn't helping me to concentrate.

"Okay, enough for today," Jasper sighed deeply. "I can see that you are not yourself today, Bella. I'm not going to ask questions, I just hope you will be able to concentrate tomorrow. Now, you and Alice go and change."

I hung my head and followed my sparring partner to the locker room. Alice opened the door and let me inside before closing it and putting her hands on her hips.

_Here comes an interrogation._

"Bella, would you be so kind and tell me what the hell is going on with you today?" Alice inquired, cocking an eyebrow. I sighed pulled the rubber off my hair, letting them loose.

"I just..." I started, unsure how to proceed. "I said some very mean and stupid things this morning."

"To whom? Edward?"

I nodded, staring at the tiled floor. I felt tears gather in my eyes and I bit my lip, trying to keep them from flowing.

"Bella, could you please elaborate?" Alice asked gently.

"I'm such a bitch," I mumbled and hid my face in my hands, once again that day letting my tears flow freely. "So stupid, so, so stupid."

"Honey..." I heard Alice make her way across the room and take a sit on the bench next to me. She pulled at my arms until I finally relented and let her pull me into a tight hug. I hid my face in her neck and completely fell apart.

It took me almost half an hour to calm myself down. I kept mumbling some profanities with reference to myself, clinging to Alice for dear life. When I finally got control over my emotions, Alice released me and went to her locker to bring me a few tissues.

"Thanks," I croaked out and wiped furiously at my eyes.

As she sat by my side again, I took a big breath, deciding that needed to tell her everything. I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes as I whispered the four painful words.

"I slept with him."

"You what?" Alice exclaimed disbelievingly. "You slept with Edward Cullen?"

"Yes," I confirmed quietly and opened my eyes, meeting her shocked ones.

"I don't understand. I knew you two were close, but you know him, like, two weeks, and you actually had sex with him?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, getting slightly irritated. "Yes, and it was the best night of my life. He was so tender, so loving... It was perfect," I sighed, remembering Edward's touch and kisses. "I've given him my virginity and I don't regret it."

"But how did that happen?"

"We met in the dining room, talked for a while and I suggested he come to my room. We watched some movie and then... It just happened."

"Oh, Bella..." Alice shook her head. "I guess if you don't regret it, there must be some other reason why you are so miserable. What is it?"

I swallowed and sniffled. "This morning he was awake before me, but didn't want to wake me up because he wanted me to rest. When I asked him what time it was and he told me it was already eight, I kinda flipped out," I winced, remembering my frenzy. "I got irritated and said a few mean things to him."

"Which are...?" Alice prompted gently.

"I might have told him he was only distracting me from winning," I whispered and fixed my gaze on the floor.

"Tell me you're kidding," she said, disbelief lacing her voice.

I simply shook my head as I felt tears gathering in my eyes once again.

Alice sighed deeply by my side and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"He was so hurt, Alice," I sobbed. "You should have seen his face. I tried to explain myself and begged him to stay, but he quickly put on his clothes, told me that he would never bother me again, and left."

"Edward just needs to cool down. I'm sure he will understand that you are on edge before the big match and you didn't mean all these things," she tried to reassure me, but I shook my head fervently.

"He won't," I choked out. "He's opened to me completely, trusting me with his heart, and I hurt him by my stupid determination to win."

"Just give him some time, okay?" Alice asked gently. "Try to call him in the evening."

I nodded my head and blew my nose. "I'm worried, Alice, so worried that he's not gonna come to the stadium tomorrow. I don't know what I will do if he won't be there."

"He will," she rubbed my arm reassuringly.

I really hoped she was right.

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><p>I refused to do any interviews in the afternoon, claiming that I had a headache and wanted to rest before the big match. I jogged for half an hour in the hotel gardens, though, trying to clear my head. Soon I found myself eyeing all the places I'd been to while running with Edward a few nights before, and needed to go back to my room before I would break down once again.<p>

I took a quick shower and dried my hair before taking a seat on the edge of my bed. I stared at my cell phone laying on the nightstand, fighting with myself. Just as my heart won the battle with my mind and I was about to grab the cell and call Edward, I heard a knocking on my door. I jumped from the bed, almost running to the door and flinging it open in hopes of finding Edward on the other side.

However, it was someone completely different.

"Mum!" I exclaimed and threw myself into Renee's arms. I hadn't realized I had missed her so much until her slender arms had wrapped around me.

"Bella," she sighed and I could hear a smile in her voice. "It's so good to see you, honey."

I pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes. "I missed you, mum," I confessed, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Oh, honey, I missed you, too," Renee said softly. "I'm so proud of you. My little girl is going to play in a US Open finalist!"

"Yeah," I laughed, feeling close to crying again. Damn, I was overly emotional that day.

I pulled her into my room and we spent the next few hours catching up and hugging. My mother's presence meant the world to me and definitely lifted my spirits.

"Bella, I can see that something is bothering you," my mom said gently, looking at me questioningly.

"Um, yeah," I sighed and run a hand through my hair, "but I don't really want to talk about it. I just had... a bad morning."

Renee looked at me intently for a moment before nodding her head ever so slightly. "Okay," she replied softly and changed the subject. I was glad she wasn't going to interrogate me this time, and found myself relaxing slightly as I listened to her funny school stories. She knew I needed a distraction and provided me with one, and I loved her for that even more.

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><p>After dinner with my parents, Alice and Jasper, I excused myself to my room and lie down on the incredibly soft mattress of my king size bed. After taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down and gather my thoughts, I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my cell phone. I was glad I exchanged cell phone numbers with Edward last night during the movie. I quickly found his name and pressed 'call', closing my eyes and putting the receiver to my ear.<p>

I waited and waited for him to answer, but after six signals I gave up. He clearly didn't want to talk with me. For a few minutes I considered going over to his room, but then I remembered Alice's request to give him some time. Resigned, I put my cell back on the nightstand and changed into my pyjamas.

When I finally curled up under the covers of my bed and closed my eyes, the reality finally dawned on me. I, Isabella Marie Swan, nineteen years old, was a US Open finalist. On the next day I was to play the most important match in my professional carrier. It had been my dream since I had been a little girl who could barely hold a tennis racquet in my hand. I smiled as I remembered myself in tiny tennis player skirts.

The most important day of my life was about to come, and I feared the most important person in my life would not be there by my side.

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><p><strong>I know, I know... Bella needs a mouth filter, but please try to understand her. Her dream is close to coming true, and she is bound to be on odge.<strong>

**Please, check out my new one-shot called "Revelation" - /s/7394883/1/Revelation**

**Review, please!**


	11. Author's note

**Hello everybody!**

I know there has been no update for a longer period of time and I'm terribly sorry for that. Starting Uni, moving to the capital city, a lot of studying – it all left me with little amount of free time.

I promise I haven't forgotten about this story. I'm determined to publish the last, final chapter nf Wednesday, October 26. I cannot tell you whether I will publish an epilogue or not, but I hope I will find some time do write it as well.

**Take care,**

**Gilmoregirl-pl**


	12. Chapter 11 Victorious

Hi everybody,

I'm so, so, so terribly sorry for the delay. As I explained in the note a week ago, it was really difficult for me to find some time and finish this story. Fortunately, we have currently a long weekend in Poland, so I pulled myself together and wrote the last chapter. Yes, this is really the last chapter. I truly love this story and I'm going to terribly miss writing it. It's something that I always wanted to read - a tennis-based fanfiction. Of course, there might be some similarities to a movie "Wimbledon", since I've seen it a few times and really like it, but I tried to avoid them.

**I'm going to publish an epilogue as well.** I have already its draft in my head, so as soon as I find some time I will publish it.

Alright, enough with the talking. I dedicate this chapter to **bellastew**, who was a big fan of the story since the very beginning and always supported me :)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 11. Victorious<strong>

_I was running across the hotel's gardens at night, my eyes scanning the space. It was eerily quiet, but it wasn't bothering me. I knew he was there somewhere, and I desperately needed to find him._

"_Edward!" I exclaimed, stopping to look around. "Edward!"_

_I finally noticed a silhouette standing by the nearest bench and hurried in its direction. Though it was dark, I could recognize him everywhere._

"_Edward!" I said breathlessly when I reached him and put my hand on his shoulder. He turned slowly towards me and I gasped. I expected him to be smiling and happy, but his eyes were cold and indifferent._

"_I'm not going to bother you anymore, and you don't bother me," he seethed, his voice venomous. _

"_Edward, please," I pleaded, trying to hug him, but he escaped my touch and turned around, heading towards the darkness. I tried running after him, but the distance between us was getting bigger and bigger._

"_Please," I sobbed, tears blinding my vision. "Please, don't go, I love you, please, please..."_

"Please," I cried and sat up, opening my eyes. I was gasping for air and could feel tears flowing freely down my cheeks. It took me a minute to comprehend that I was in my hotel room. It was bright outside. I wiped at my cheeks and grabbed my cell phone to check the time. It was only six thirty.

I sighed deeply and fell back onto the pillows, the painful memories of last day filling my chest. I knew I should go back to sleep to try and get some rest, but it was close to impossible. My heartbeat was still racing and I had a terrible headache. I reached toward the nightstand for a bottle of water, taking a few deep seeps. It helped me to calm down a little. Resigned, I grabbed the remote and put on some comedy channel to steer my thoughts away from Edward. I quickly found out that the jokes were not amusing me, so I switched the channel to BBC instead.

When it was finally time for me to get up, I grabbed my things and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. I stripped down slowly and turned the water on, getting under the spray. The heat was so pleasant and relaxing that I almost moaned. As I started washing myself, my thoughts drifted to Edward and the way his hands moved across my body two nights before. I felt my eyes well up with tears again and I swallowed, trying to pull myself together. I couldn't ponder on that anymore; I needed to be focused and concentrated.

Just as I was drying myself up, though, I couldn't help but wonder if I would feel his hands on my body ever again.

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><p>I sat down on the bench and Jasper crouched down in front of me, taking both my hands in his.<p>

"Ready?" he asked gently, smiling softly towards me. He was so calm and so sure of my abilities that I couldn't help but relax slightly. We were alone in the locker room and it was time for his final speech.

"I think so," I replied quietly and managed to smile back, though I was still hurting. I tried to prepare myself for Edward's probable absence on the stadium, but the mere thought was making my heart ache.

"Bella, I don't know what's going on, but I can see that something is still bothering you. Alice told me only that it has something to do with Edward Cullen, but I didn't ask her for details. You need forget about all that for two hours, though, okay? You've dreamed about this day your whole life, Bella. I've never met anyone so determined, persistent and diligent in my entire life. I have so much faith in you, Bella. I know you can win this," Jasper said encouragingly, squeezing my hands. My heart filled with emotion and I leaned forward, wrapping my hands tightly around his waist.

"Thank you so much, Jasper," I whispered with gratitude and buried my neck in the crook of his neck.

He laughed lightly and hugged me back. After a few moments he leaned back slightly to look me in the eyes.

"Don't thank me too early, just go out there on the court and do your job," he replied joyfully, his eyes sparkling. "Remember, if you win I will get a bonus."

"Oh, shut up," I laughed and slapped his shoulder gently. "You are the best, Jasper Whitlock, you know that? You always know how to cheer me up."

"At your service, ma'am," he replied seriously with his southern accent, though I could see he tried very hard not to laugh out loud. In this very moment I realized that no matter what, I had at least one person in this world for whom I simply _had_ to win. There was no other option.

"Remember, mix long and short shots. Don't let her start foreseeing your hits, okay? Take risk, but no all the time. Focus on your first service. If anything goes wrong, do not give up. You can ask to see me anytime you want."

I nodded my head and hugged him one more time.

"Wish me luck," I smiled just as the door opened, one of the organisers standing in the doorway. It was time.

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><p>"Isabella Swan!"<p>

I inhaled deeply and entered the stadium. I was instantly overwhelmed by the amount of screams and clapping. It seemed that Arthur Ashe's Stadium was filled to its capacity of twenty-three thousand people. I headed to the empty bench and put my things down. I dreaded the moment when I would scan the audience and wouldn't be able to find Edward, so I tried to postpone it for as long as possible. I headed to the net where the umpire and my today's opponent were already waiting.

"Hello, Tanya," I greeted my all time greatest opponent. Tanya Denali were the same age, but she was one place higher in the ranking than me. We had known each other for a few years due to being the same nationality and playing in the same junior tournaments. She had not won any grand slam tournament and lost with me a few times, so I knew she was more than determined to win that match.

"Hello, Bella," she greeted me just as politely and we squeezed the umpire's hand. It was a thirty year old woman from Great Britain that was know of her justice and calmness. I was glad that she was going to umpire the match.

"Ready?" she inquired and we both nodded. "Well, Miss Swan, heads or tails?"

"Heads," I replied. Fortunately, I won the tossing and was able to choose the service. Tennis is all about intimidating your opponent, and my service definitely could do so.

We took our time warming up, me trying to ignore Tanya's self-confident smirks. I knew she was attempting to make me self-conscious before the match even began, but I wasn't having any of it.

When I finally took the seat on the bench for the thirty seconds of relax before the match began, my eyes started wandering across the stands. They immediately found my box. My parents and the Whitlocks were already sitting there, smiling brightly. When my mum saw me looking, she waved slightly and crossed her fingers. I smiled back, so happy to have them to support me. They weren't who I was looking for, though. My eyes kept scanning the crowd with growing trepidation in my heart.

He was not there.

I closed my eyes to compose myself. _This cannot affect your play,_ I repeated in my mind over and over again. _Focus, just focus._

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I got up and headed toward the baseline, grabbing a few balls from the nearby ball boy. I chose one and took my position, preparing to serve. When Tanya signalled that she was ready, I threw the ball in the air and hit. Unfortunately, the ball hit the net.

_Come on, Bella. You can do this._

The second hit was in, but it was so short that Tanya had no problem whatsoever returning it with great force. I made a move to reach it, but the hit was so strong that I stopped halfway, helplessly watching it hit the court.

"Love – fifteen," the umpire announced and the audience started clapping. I tried not to let one lost point affect my confidence so early in the match, so I inhaled deeply and prepared for another serve.

Unfortunately, I lost a few more points and Tanya got her first break. With every ball I was getting more and more impatient and frustrated. I needed to change something in my play. After a series of too long balls I decided to send a shorter one. When Tanya made a slice, I crouched slightly and sent the ball just behind the net. Apparently my intentions were too clear for my opponent, though, because Tanya started to the ball immediately and managed to return it along the net. As you can expect, I had no chance to hit it back.

_Damn_, I muttered as the audience erupted in applause. We were both American, so they supported Tanya as much as they did me.

I could hardly recognize myself. My hits were not precise, my hands were shaking and my timing was off. This was not me. Though I tried to tune them out, I could hear the murmurs in the stands. I refused to look towards my family's box, knowing that the worry and disappointment painted on their faces would certainly not help me at the moment.

After thirty minutes the first set was over. I wasn't able to win even one single game.

"Game, set, Miss Denali," the umpire announced. I hung my head down and made my way towards her chair to place my request. She leaned towards me and then straightened up in her chair. "Miss Swan has requested to see her coach."

I sat down on my bench and opened the nearest bottle of water. A few seconds later Jasper jogged over to me and sat beside me.

"Bella, what's going on?" he inquired gently, placing his hand on my arm.

"I don't know," I whispered, shaking my head slightly. I realized that my hands were shaking and grabbed the bottle with both hands, searching for any form of stabilization. "I'm just blocked. My hands do not seem to listen to my mind. My every shot is off." I looked up at him, my eyes filling with tears. "I don't know what to do, Jasper."

He sighed deeply and appeared to be thinking intensely about something.

"We must do something to make your service work one again. Try and serve towards the centre service line rather than the alley line. I know it's risky, but you have nothing to lose right now."

I nodded my head and relaxed my grip slightly. It was a good idea and I felt a spark of hope that I still could change the course of the match.

"Just don't give up, Bella. It's not you. You never give up. Come on," he squeezed my arm and smiled encouragingly, rising up from the bench and jogging back towards the box. I followed him with my gaze and gasped.

My eyes met Edward's as he took a sit beside Alice in my family's box. Jasper looked slightly surprised as he entered the box himself, but simply greeted him with a nod and set down on Alice's other side.

My eyes were fixed on Edward, though. I found it hard to comprehend that he was really there. Just as I lost hope of him showing up, he actually did. More, he was there in my box with my family and friends. If my parents were surprised to see him there, they didn't show it. I could see them whispering quietly for a few seconds, but then their attention was fully concentrated on me once again.

Edward smiled gingerly towards me, but I was too shocked and confused to reply with a smile of my own. The umpire had already announced that our time was up, so I stood up and headed towards the base line, preparing to serve. And serve I did.

"Fifteen – love," I heard after I sent the ball across the court. It was an ace. Tanya looked just as stunned as me, but the audience was more than exhilarated. Obviously they wanted to see me fight instead of losing the match quickly.

Apparently Edward's mere presence gave me strength that I hadn't known I had in me. I less than two minutes I won the first game without losing a point. I could see Jasper smile widely and clap energetically along with the audience. I did change my service direction, but I knew this was not the only reason why I was suddenly so confident on court. The main reason was sitting two chairs away from Jasper, cheering with others.

I got brave on the court, hitting the ball towards the end lines or smashing it with great force. Every good hit was giving me more energy. Instead of hanging my head down in defeat, I was now smiling and exclaiming with satisfaction. I stared resembling the real me and the whole stadium loved it. Well, maybe apart of Tanya, who was getting more and more nervous with my every perfect shot. She was losing control over the situation and I knew her well enough to know that she was close to panicking.

"Game, set, Miss Swan," the umpire announced and I threw my hand in the air with happiness. Me and Tanya were even. The match was starting once again.

As we were resting before the final set, Tanya requested to see her coach and I could hear their desperate whispers. I was aware of the fact that I was grinning widely and couldn't stop my eyes from wandering towards my box. They instantly met Edward's twinkling ones. He winked at me, happiness written all over his face, and my smile widened at the sight. He was truly my strength, my rock. It was a little scary that we knew each other only two weeks and my life already depended on him, but I knew that was just a symptom of a true love.

I loved him. I loved him so much that it hurt, and the fact that he was apparently willing to give me a second chance was enough to give me wings.

The match started one more time and in the blink of an eye it was already five to zero. I was four balls away from winning. Half of the people in the stadium, including my box, were already standing. The audience's screams and whistles grew in strength with my every hit. After one of my spectacular smashes I was sure I was going to go deaf, but I loved the support at the same time. Edward was standing by the railing along with the Whitlocks and my parents, his hands folded into fists.

"Silence, please," the umpire requested. It was Tanya's turn to serve. She looked extremely angry, which was a good sign for me. Her first serve was far too long.

"Second serve."

At that point Tanya's hands were shaking far too badly for the serve to be any good. Just as I expected, she made a double fault.

"Love – fifteen."

Three more balls. It was getting really hard for the umpire to discipline the stands.

Two more balls. I could feel the first wave of happiness fill my chest, but I tried to suppress it. After all, the match was not over yet.

Finally, it was the match point. I closed my eyes for a second, will to imprint this moment in my memory. I took my position on the end line, my gaze meeting Tanya's for a split of second. I saw fury and irritation in her eyes. She quickly lowered them to the ground and bounced the ball a few times. The audience fell unnaturally silent. It seemed as though everybody realized that they were taking part in a monumental moment that would change the history of tennis.

Tanya's serve landed in the middle of the right service court. I didn't even had to make a step back, just moved my right arm back and then sent the ball strongly across the court. Tanya run desperately towards the ball, but she missed it.

"Game, set and match, miss Swan!" the umpire announced and the audience erupted, literally erupted. If I had thought I was going to go deaf earlier, I certainly got deaf at the moment. The realization was slowly sinking in and when it finally did, I threw my racquet aside and fell to my knees, violent sobs leaving my chest. I covered my face with my hands and continued to cry from happiness among the applause of twenty three thousand people gathered in Arthur Ashe's Stadium at Flushing Meadows courts in New York City.

I won US Open.

When I finally got some control over my emotions, I rose up from my knees and smiled towards the audience. The whole stadium was standing and clapping. I grabbed my racquet and made a run towards the net to squeeze Tanya's hand. Our eyes didn't make a contact, but I certainly didn't care. I made my way towards the umpire who smiled kindly at me and congratulated me on my amazing play. I thanked her, put my racquet on my bench and finally run towards my box. I quickly entered it and fell into my mother's arms.

"I'm so proud of you, honey," Renee squeezed me, crying softly into the crook of my neck. I managed to keep myself from crying as I hugged her back.

When she finally released me, I moved to Charlie.

"You were great, Bella," he said with the emotion in his voice. We embraced quickly and then I was swept into a hug by Alice.

"Congratulations!" she squealed in my ear and I winced at the volume, earning a laugh from Jasper. When it was his turn, he put his hands on my shoulders and grinned widely.

"You know how proud of you I am, Bella. I always believed in you."

"Thank you so much, Jasper," I whispered and threw my hands around his neck. He laughed at my enthusiasm, but hugged me nonetheless. I was about to move back when he whispered in my ear. "There is someone who is more eager to congratulate you that all of us."

I blushed and leaned back, making my way towards the last person in my box. I heard gasps around the stadium as the camera that was following me and showing everything on the big screen settled on Edward's face. Thousands of astonished people fell silent, wishing to hear our words and see my next move.

Edward was smiling softly, pride written all over his face. He was so handsome that it took my breath away. I suddenly found myself at a loss for words.

"You came," I breathed out, aware of all the eyes watching us.

"Yeah," he confirmed, his forehead creasing slightly. "I fought with myself all night, but then I realized I would never forgive myself if I wasn't there." Edward hesitantly reached out and when he saw no resistance, he gently wrapped me up in his arms, his eyes filling with guilt. "I'm so sorry I didn't come earlier."

I knew we had a lot of things to discuss and a lot of apologies to make, but all these things could wait. I just needed one thing at the moment.

"Will you kiss me?" I inquired gently and Edward's lips curved up into a smile. He brought me closer and his lips descended on mine with full force.

The whole stadium started applauding us and screaming. I swear I could hear some whistles in the background that were making me blush furiously, but I was unwilling to stop. I didn't care that my parents were standing a few meters away, probably confused as hell, or that Alice was jumping up and down next to laughing Jasper who tried to get her to calm down a little. I concentrated fully on the exquisite feeling of Edward lips pressed to mine and his palms pressed to my lower back. I was sweaty and didn't smell very good, but none of us seemed to mind. Edward run the tip of his tongue along my bottom lip and I sighed, allowing him the access to my mouth. When our tongues finally met after what seemed like forever, I moaned and it was our cue to break the kiss before we would embarrass ourselves in front of the whole stadium, millions of people watching us on TV and, most importantly, my parents.

We broke the kiss and Edward rested his forehead against mine, both of us grinning like fools.

"I love you," I whispered breathlessly.

"I love you, too," he replied and wound his hands around my waist one more time, hugging me to his body. I rested my head on his chest and sighed deeply.

When I was a little girl, I read somewhere that saying: "Love is nothing in tennis, but in life it's everything". It turned out that the author of the sentence was only partly right. Love was truly everything in life, but it also helped me overcome my weaknesses, get back my strength and win the tournament.

Love was everything in tennis and my life, and my life was Edward.

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><p><strong>Okay, I'm already crying myself. How about you?<strong>

**Review, please!**


	13. Epilogue

**Hello!**

It took me three weeks to write the epilogue I had promised you. Tadam, here it is! I love this story so much that it was very hard for me to finish it, but I knew it was inevitable.

I'll see you at the bottom.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Epilogue<p>

**Two years later**

I woke up surrounded by pillows and couldn't help but snuggle further into the warmth of the extremely comfortable king size bed of my hotel apartment. Without opening my eyes, I reached blindly with my left arm to the side, hoping to find the man I loved laying by my side. The space was empty, though. I opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the bed side table. It was already past eight, so I wasn't really surprised that he was not there.

Involuntarily, my right hand travelled down to my rounded stomach and I tenderly caressed the bump.

"Hi, baby. I hope you slept well," I cooed. When I received a soft kick in response, I smiled widely.

My pregnancy so far was going amazing. My period of morning sickness was very short and the baby was developing perfectly, so I could thoroughly enjoy the time of waiting for our baby to be born.

The time since I had won the US Open was a pure bliss. My and Edward's family and friends weren't really surprised that we had feeling for each other, but the media – oh yes. Our little stunt during the final hadn't exactly go unnoticed. We became the 'hottest' couple that journalists wrote about in gossip columns and TV presenters invited to their shows. If I hadn't been used to public attention by then, I certainly had to get accustomed to paparazzi following me and Edward everywhere. For him it was much easier, since he was always more comfortable with doing interviews and being on magazines' covers, but he fully supported me and protected our privacy as much as he could.

We never tried to hide our relationship, knowing that it would only make things worse. After a year of being together, Edward took me to the roof of his apartment building and proposed. It was one of the happiest and romantic moments of my life. Of course, I said yes, and after informing our family, we announced the news to the public. The hype around us got even crazier, but I was so happy that I truly didn't mind.

We got married a few months later in Port Angeles, just after the tennis season ended. The ceremony was quiet and small, just as I had always imagined my wedding would be. We invited only the closest family and friends, keeping the place of the wedding in secret so that paparazzi couldn't have shown. Since my argument with Carlisle things between Edward and his father started getting slightly better. I reckon he finally understood how deeply his son had been always hurt by his father's words and actions. Both him and Esme, who turned out to be as amazing as Edward had always described her, were present at our wedding as well.

Our accomplishments in tennis were getting greater and greater, with me taking over the position of the first female racquet in the world just before the wedding. I had two Grand Slam titles in my pocket thanks to winning the US Open and the Wimbledon the following year. Edward had yet to win the title, but I truly believed in him and his tennis skills. With me being already on top and winning so much, the decision of taking a break in my tennis career was easy to make. We were both so in love with each other that we didn't want to wait with trying for a baby. Our parents and friends were quite surprised, given our young age, but I just couldn't wait to be a mother. These strong feeling were really surprising to me – just one year ago I hadn't even though about being in a relationship and now I were such a family person. It was the love that Edward and I shared that changed our outlook on life and love.

For our honeymoon my handsome husband took me to the Caribbean, where we laughed, kissed and thoroughly enjoyed our life as a married couple for two sweet weeks. Thankfully, we managed to hide from media. I stopped taking my birth control pill a few weeks later and, no surprise here, we were intensely and eagerly engaged into the baby-making process. I didn't drop tennis immediately, taking part in the Australian Open and a few tournaments following. In late March, when my period was one weeks late, I finally saw two pink lines on a pregnancy tests.

We were simply ecstatic. I stopped my trainings immediately and focused on my baby-to-be-born and Edward. Now, five months later, I was in the sixth month of my pregnancy and couldn't be happier.

I pushed the covers off my body and raised slowly from the bed. I made my way to the bedroom window and opened it, breathing in the warm September air. The weather was perfect for playing tennis – it wasn't hot, the air was rather dry and there was no a single rain cloud on the sky.

I still had some time to take a shower, so I headed to the bathroom and stripped down quickly. I stared at my naked body in the mirror and pressed the palms of my hands to my bare stomach lovingly.

"I love you, Renesmee," I whispered to my daughter. Edward was thrilled when we had learned that we were having a daughter. He bought her a small racquet the next day and couldn't stop talking about teaching her how to play tennis. His eagerness was melting my heart. I already knew Renesmee would be the apple of his eye.

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><p>"Hi everybody," I greeted mine and Edward's parents as I entered the dining room of our New York hotel.<p>

"Bella!" Esme exclaimed softly. "Please, sit down here. How are you feeling?"

"Very well, thank you," I replied with a smile and took a sit by her side. Charlie smiled at me and took sip of his water. Carlisle Cullen nodded his head in acknowledgement and I nodded back. I guess we would never be extremely friendly to each other, but we were polite enough. I could never fully forgive him how he had treated Edward in the past and he didn't seek for my forgiveness either.

"We were just talking about what a lovely Sunday it is, perfect for the final match," Renee filled me in.

"I agree," I replied and looked around the table. "Where is Rosalie?"

Edward had a great coach, Emmett McCarthy, and Rosalie was his girlfriend. We grew close during the last two years and I was happy to have another great friend. I regretted that Alice and Jasper couldn't be there because of Jasper's grandfather's death.

"She's with Edward and Emmett at the stadium. She said she would come back before the match to change," Esme replied.

"I see," I said and stood up, making my way to the breakfast buffet. Being pregnant was making me extremely hungry lately. I had never been really round due to the sport I had been training, and the speed at which I was gaining weight right now was kind of scary to me. Edward, on the other hand, loved my new curves, especially my fuller breasts. He was truly a typical man.

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><p>"Edward Cullen!"<p>

The audience erupted in applause as my husband entered the stadium and headed towards his bench. I was clapping along with the others, my close ones in the box around me.

His today's opponent was James Randall, the very same tennis players that Edward lost to two years ago. This time Edward was much stronger, though, both physically and mentally. He had his family and friends by his side. His relationship with Carlisle was better. But, more importantly, he had somebody for whom he would fight – me, his wife, and his unborn daughter. I knew these things would lead him to winning the US Open final and, consequently, his first Grand Slam title.

Edward's play was brilliant. His every shot was precise and powerful. I had never seen him play better. He won the first two sets without losing a single game!

"Game, Mr Cullen. Mr Cullen leads five to one," the umpire announced.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as everybody started clapping and shouting. Edward was four points away from winning. I couldn't believe it was really happening and, to tell the truth, apparently neither could James. He was visibly frustrated and even kind of defeated. He had probably realized that he had no single chance of winning the match.

Edward sat down on the bench and reached for his Powerade bottle. He took a sip and lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine. He smiled crookedly and winked at me. I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head at his cockiness.

"Time."

Edward stood up and took his position on the end line, ready to serve.

"Come on, Edward. You can do this," I whispered, my knuckles almost white from keeping my fingers crossed.

"Bella, relax," Renee said over the shouts of the audience. "He will win this."

I nodded my head, suddenly unable to respond as my heart squeezed with emotion. I wanted him to win that so badly I could barely breathe.

Edward stopped the bouncing, threw the ball in the air and hit.

"Ace!" Esme exclaimed by my side gripped Carlisle's arm tightly. He rubbed her hand and smiled down at her. When his eyes met mine, they were twinkling with excitement that he tried to restrain. I knew that he was proud of his son and that this could be their true breaking point. Tears filled my eyes and I smiled at Carlisle, receiving a tentative smile back.

The next two exchanges were short and won by Edward in a spectacular way. The whole audience of the Arthur Ashe's stadium was standing at this point and the umpire had difficulty in quieting down the loud stands.

"Silence, please."

Edward gripped the ball tightly and closed his eyes for a few seconds. I wished I knew what he was thinking about. I knew what he felt so well – I went through all that two years ago. I could understand his longing and excitement.

His eyes fluttered open and he threw the ball high in the air, hitting the ball with determination I had never witnessed before. James barely reached the ball and his return was too weak to even reach the net.

"Yes!" Edward exclaimed and fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands. His shoulders shook visibly and I knew he was crying. The stadium erupted in screams, applause and crying, but my mind tuned it all out. My eyes were focused on Edward as I took a few calming breaths.

It was finally over. Edward won the US Open!

I was barely aware of the tears flowing down my cheeks, my family screaming around me and all the video cameras turned towards our box. My head followed Edward as he run to the net, shook hands with Randall and the umpire, and made a triumphant run around the stadium. When he reached our box, he put his racquet down and jumped over its wall, not bothering to enter it properly. His arms circled my waist as soon as he reached me and our faces appeared on the big screen for the second time in history.

"You won," I managed to choke out.

"I did," he replied, his smile so wide that I was almost afraid his mouth would get permanently damaged or something. "I did this for you," he pressed his right hand to my bump and looked deeply into my eyes. "I love you both so much," he whispered, his voice breaking at the end.

"We love you too," I replied back weakly and threw my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his. Nothing else mattered at the moment, only we and our daughter.

Both me and Edward were to win many more titles in the future. Our daughter was to be the youngest winner of a Grand Slam tournament. We couldn't have known that the moment I won the US Open, nor the moment Edward did so. We did know one thing, though.

Our life was filled with magic.

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><p>Okay, I feel like crying right now. I can't believe I actually finished the story.<p>

Thank you all who read this story and reviewed it. It really meant the world to me. I can only hope you enjoyed it.

I'm thinking about publishing another story. My free time is really limited right now, but I already wrote two chapters and they seem pretty good ;) **Would you be interested in reading it?**

Thank you all one more time.

**Gilmoregirl-pl or just Martyna**


	14. Author's note 2

**Hi, everybody!**

Thank you so much for all your comments. I'm so glad you liked 'Hit By Love'.

I came up with a new story recently called **Unspeakable Affliction**. It contains a bit more drama. I truly love the setting there.

Here you have the summary:

**The cruel fate forced them apart. Now, after many years, they get a chance to reunite. However, it might not be that easy. "It seemed as if I was on the edge of a cliff I knew how amazing the flight would be, but felt too scared to actually jump."**

**TO READ UNSPEAKABLE AFFLICTION GO HERE: /s/7894573/1/**

Please, read and review!

Martyna


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